Fire Burst
by LaserLemonLolita
Summary: (AU) Rapunzel lives in a penthouse apartment in Anaheim, California with her neglectful supermodel mother. Every night she watches as fire dances across the sky over a shimmering castle, wondering about the magical place that lies only two miles away. Striking up a deal with a sarcastic and money hungry journalist, Rapunzel finally discovers what lies in The Happiest Place on Earth
1. Prologue

Eighteen years ago, in a small rural town in Kentucky, there lived a young, growing family. There was the husband, Charles, and his young wife, Charlotte. The two were about to have a baby, when Charlotte became deathly ill. Charles took his wife to every hospital they could afford, but the doctors all shook their heads and claimed nothing could be done.

One day, an elderly woman, Sharon Gothel, overheard the man lamenting to the doctor that he couldn't afford treatment for his pregnant wife. Taking the man aside, she claimed to know of an herb that would heal his ill wife, and for a fraction of a price of what he'd pay at a hospital. Charles was normally a sensible man, who would never believe such nonsense, but his pockets were almost empty and his normal skepticism was replaced with a new naiveté. He followed Gothel to her home and she placed a few healing herbs in his hand, telling him to make a broth with them to feed to his wife. The herbs were soft and leafy, and included a small yellow lily. Charles thanked her for her generosity and hurried home, where he did exactly as the woman commanded. Within moments, his long-suffering wife regained her strength.

Gothel's intentions were not as pure as Charles had hoped. The herbs that she gave him certainly healed his wife, but they also affected the child inside her. The herbs would absorb into the fetus, and their healing powers would transfer into the child. Gothel had been searching for years for a pregnant woman on her deathbed and she was pleased to have finally found one. Gothel planned to steal the child right from under the couple's noses and keep it for herself. She had used up all her age regenerating herbs years ago, and the child was her last hope at staying young.

After keeping a close eye on the couple for weeks, Gothel was relieved to see that the child was finally born. She differed from the parents tremendously in that she was born with beautiful golden hair. Gothel smiled at the thought of the husband becoming suspicious of his wife, as the two of them both had dark brown hair. But it was obvious that the happy baby with his daughter, and the couple dismissed the hair issue as a possible recessive trait in the family.

Gothel waited a few nights before finally sneaking into the couple's house. She snuck into the baby's room and sang softly, just so she could be absolutely sure that the child was blessed with the healing powers. As she sang her special song, a thought came to her head. Perhaps she didn't have to take the whole child, maybe just a lock of hair would do. She produced a small pair of scissors from her purse and snipped a small clip of hair. The strand instantly turned a dark brown, and Gothel jumped back. The decision was made. She had to take the child.

Gothel wasted no time leaving town. She popped the newborn into a car seat and began down the road. She was headed west, to California. With her new youth and beauty, it wouldn't be too difficult to find a job out there. Finally settling in an old apartment building in Anaheim, Gothel quickly found a job as an entry level model and used her small skills in magic to climb higher and higher in her career. It wasn't long before she was at the top of the modeling chain, thanks to a few persuasion charms and the fountain of youth that waited for her at home. She often left the baby alone for a few hours at a time, checking on her only to take care of her basic needs and to use her hair.

Fortunately the girl was a very quick learner, and by the time she was two, she could be left home alone for a whole day. Gothel raised the child as her own, always claiming that the outside world was horribly dangerous, and people would use her and abuse her for their own needs. Rapunzel was kept quiet and sheltered. However there was one thing her mother couldn't hide from her. Every night, from the window of her bedroom, Rapunzel watched as light seemed to shower over a castle in the distance as fanciful music played. One day working up the nerve to ask her mother about it, Gothel tried to instill fear in the girl, insisting that it was "fire falling from the sky!" Certainly it was too dangerous for Rapunzel, and she should just try to put it out of her head. Gothel knew the risk in trying to move to a different location now. Rapunzel could slip away so easily, and then how would she get her youth? Gothel instead tried to scare the girl into staying inside, and for years it worked.

But still, almost every night, Rapunzel peeked out her window and watched the light rain over the beautiful castle, and she knew that it wasn't some horrible frightening thing like her mother described. Sometimes when Mother was gone, Rapunzel would pretend that she was with all those people down there, staring at the fire in the sky. She never believed that her dream might actually come true, until one day, when a charming stranger stumbled into her home.


	2. Chapter 1

Rapunzel sat in front of the TV, watching her favorite cooking show, _again_. She watched as the portly woman on the screen added different ingredients to the pot, chattering away excitedly about the various items that were slowly stewing together. Rapunzel set the television to mute and picked up where the woman had left off.

"And then we add 2 cups of milk, and a dash of salt," Rapunzel droned, matching the lip sync perfectly, "And just for good measure, let's add a stick of butter to this too. There's nothing on this planet that doesn't go better with a stick of butter." Rapunzel rolled her eyes. Every time she tried to add extra butter to something, Mother just got angry.

_"Are you trying to make me gain weight, Rapunzel?"_

_"No! Of course not Mother, I just thought it might make it taste better so I added a little extra and-"_

_"Rapunzel, really. All I ask is that you make a good, HEALTHY dinner for us a few nights a week. For everything I provide for you, I really don't think that's too much to ask."_

Rapunzel didn't really understand why Mother wanted her to make dinner, especially since she could just dine out or call in for dinner. Rapunzel's best guess was that perhaps Mother actually really liked her cooking, but she just didn't want to admit it. She flipped the sound back on in time to hear the chef yammer on about how it was going to be the greatest clam chowder in the world. Butter in clam chowder just seemed like overkill to Rapunzel. She had told the chef on the screen that before, but nevertheless the portly woman always added that unnecessary stick of butter.

With a groan, Rapunzel pulled herself off the couch. She grabbed the remote and flipped off the TV. It was only the five hundredth time she'd seen it. Plus she had it on DVD, so she could always watch it later. Rapunzel glanced at her stack of DVDs next to the giant flatscreen television. Every single one of them was a cooking show, a documentary about trains or cars or something mechanical (never anything about people), or an educational science show. Mother never let her watch anything fictional. Stories were "for children" she insisted. Sometimes Rapunzel made up her own stories in her head, but she never had anyone to tell them too and she definitely would never write them down. It was hard to hide secrets from Mother.

As Rapunzel straightened out her light summer dress she heard a soft sound from around the corner.

"Pascal? Is that you?" she called out. A quiet mew came from around the corner as a brown cat slipped from the hallway into the living room. Rapunzel smiled and lowered a hand for her feline friend. The cat wasted no time in crushing its head against her open palm as she scratched behind his ears. Pascal was the greatest thing Mother had ever given to her. Of course, Mother always complained when Pascal was in the room, but the cat was quickly trained to stay in Rapunzel's bedroom while Mother was home. Which really wasn't often. Usually she got home long after Rapunzel had gone to bed. Sometimes she was gone for several days at a time, but Rapunzel didn't mind much. She got to do whatever she liked, which was a nice change of pace. It always seemed like she was doing something wrong, or at least it felt like that when Mother came home. She'd clean the penthouse, top to bottom and still Mother would groan about some small detail she had missed, or for not fixing her a drink right away.

With a sigh, Rapunzel got started on the daily chores. It wasn't that she disliked doing them. She just knew that she was going to miss something. So she started sweeping the floor and vacuuming the carpet and wiping down the windows. She peered down at the streets below her. No one ever looked back up at her. She was fifteen stories up, and on top of that the windows were tinted. Mother really liked her privacy. There was that car again. It was an old, beat-up red thing that had been parked across the street for weeks. She could just barely make out a figure inside. Rapunzel sprayed the window down with cleaner and her vision blurred as streaks of soapy liquid ran down the glass. She thought about what Mother said before she left this morning.

_"I know how much you hate being left alone darling, but Mumsy needs to go on a business trip for a few days. I'll be back in about three days though, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you."_

She finished her regular quick scrub-down of the apartment and wandered to her bedroom, a long trail of hair behind her. Last time she measured it, it was about ten feet long, which was almost twice as long as her height. Fortunately it seemed to clean itself whenever she sang her healing song, otherwise washing it would be a nightmare. Rapunzel scanned the books on her shelf, settling for a math book. She was just beginning to learn calculus, and she could probably use a quick review. She grabbed the heavy textbook and dragged it to her bed. She brought out a notepad and pencil and started solving problems, frequently checking her answers in the back of the book. Pascal came in and hopped up next to her on the purple comforter. Sensing that his friend wasn't going to give him any attention he decided to curl up into a nap.

Rapunzel was too enraptured in her book to hear the front doorknob jiggling. She didn't even notice when it creaked open. Her ears finally perked up when she heard soft footsteps down the hall. She looked at her wide open door, eyes large. These footsteps didn't sound anything like Mother's, and Mother _always_ announced her entrance at the door. Rapunzel dropped the heavy book on her bed and slowly tiptoed her way across the room. She searched for a way out or a place to hide or a…

A weapon.

Rapunzel's eyes fell on the hair dryer that rested on her dresser. She didn't use it very often, since she didn't actually _wash_ her hair with water and shampoo. But it was a particularly powerful one, and pretty heavy too. She snatched it up, and moved behind her door. The footsteps grew louder and louder. Rapunzel peeked through the crack between the door and the doorframe and saw the approaching figure. She guessed he was a man, based on his height and build. He paused at her open door and crept inside. Rapunzel watched as he walked around the room, pausing here and there to look at things. She really hoped he wouldn't turn around and see her behind the door.

Wielding her hair dryer out like a sword, Rapunzel took a small step towards the strange man. And another. And another. He was hunched over the jewelry box on her vanity, too interested in the sparkling gems to notice the girl creeping behind him. She really had no interest in jewelry and just wished he would take something and go. He rifled through the necklaces and rings, occasionally picking up a piece and investigating it. It was mostly costume stuff. There was only one necklace worth anyth-

"Huh… What have we here?" he said, breaking the silence as he pulled a pendant out of the box. It had a long golden chain with a small teardrop shaped ruby at the end. As simple as it looked, it was nearly priceless. It had been a gift from Mother only two years before. The burglar seemed to know it was expensive as well. He pocketed the necklace, and as if he had found what he needed to, he turned to leave. But instead of finding an empty room, his eyes landed on a petite young woman brandishing a hair dryer.

"Don't move!" Rapunzel yelped, waving the hair dryer in front of her wildly. Startled, the man quickly threw his hands up. Then, finally noticing exactly who his opponent was, he dropped them and started laughing.

"W-w-what's so funny?" Rapunzel said with a little less confidence. The man was holding his stomach by now, nearly doubled over with laughter. The fabric of his dark teal t-shirt wrinkled and Rapunzel felt her confidence slip away even more. She looked at the young man's modern jeans and shirt and boots and glanced down at her own old-fashioned dress and bare feet, feeling rather silly. Finally he stood up straight, his laughter fading away. He took one peek at Rapunzel again and had to hold back a snort.

"Sorry sorry. I must be dreaming or something. I'm just looking for Sharon Gothel's apartment. I thought she lived in the top floor penthouse but I must have been mistaken. I didn't mean to intrude on your weird… hair thing you've got going on here. That is quite a wig, I've gotta tell you. How long is that? Ten, twelve feet? I mean really, I'm impressed. Anyway, if you can point me to her apartment I'd be grateful." Rapunzel was unfazed.

"Why do you need to go to Moth- Sharon's apartment?"

"Personal business. Don't go getting nosy, Blondie. Just lay down the hair dryer and call off your demon cat." Rapunzel hadn't noticed Pascal hissing at the intruder from the bed, his claws outstretched towards him. Rapunzel suddenly had an idea. She slowly lowered her weapon and began to speak.

"Okay, I can tell you where Gothel's apartment is. You're just in the wrong building." Rapunzel pointed towards the window.

"I find that hard to believe. I've been watching this place for weeks now, and she always comes here."

"That's um, to ward off the paparazzi. There's an underground tunnel connecting this apartment to the other building over there." The man raised an eyebrow, but moved towards the window and Rapunzel took a few steps closer to him.

"Alright well which building, Blondie?"

"The grey one."

"Well that's not really specific. They're all kind of gre-"

BANG!

Rapunzel had cut off his words with her hair dryer. The man crumpled to the floor face first. Rapunzel felt a tiny pang of guilt. Leaning down she saw that the man was still breathing, he just seemed to be asleep. Rapunzel poked at his face, trying to get a reaction. Nothing. Pascal came over and sniffed the strange man, teeth bared. He hissed and arched his back, scampering away. Rapunzel remembered her necklace that he had pocketed and hesitatantly dug her hand around his blue jeans pocket before pulling out the thin gold chain. She held it up to the window and paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She admired how the ruby caught the daylight, looking like a beautiful fire. An idea suddenly appeared in her head, and she got to work immediately.

Moving quickly, Rapunzel pulled the heavy chair from her vanity. With as much strength as she could muster, she pulled the man into it, sitting him straight up and hoping that he wouldn't wake up. Running to the living room, she unplugged all the cables she could find and hurried back to her room with them. She wrapped them around the sleeping man tightly, taking special care to secure his arms and legs down. Finally finished, she stepped back to admire her handiwork. Worried that it wouldn't be enough, she dug through her closet looking for anything else she could find that might help keep him down.

* * *

Flynn had never been knocked out with a hair dryer before. He'd been hit with flat irons and straighteners, but a hair dryer… now that was new. He was sitting up, trying to remember everything that had happened. There was a crazy girl with the wig and the good arm. Flynn groaned. There was a shuffling noise nearby. Finding that he couldn't get out of whatever he was sitting in, he opened his eyes groggily. He looked down and saw a rather angry-looking brown cat staring him in the face. Ugh. Cats gave him the creeps.

"Get offa me. Go on. Git," he commanded, lowering his eyes at the angry little creature. The cat seemed to glare right back at him and jumped off Flynn's lap, but not before swishing his tail in the man's face. Flynn looked at his arms and chest, seeing that he was indeed tied down with thick black cables and…

"Excuse me, why am I being held down with stockings and tights?" he yelled to no one in particular. He recognized the room he was in. It was the crazy girl's bedroom. It was big, bigger than his whole apartment. The canopy bed, draped in luxurious purple silk, took up the main focus of the room. Flynn was pretty sure he accidentally stumbled upon the set of some weird hair fetish porn. Nah. Crazy hair dryer chick didn't have big enough knockers for it to be a porn. He heard soft footsteps from behind him and tried to twist his head to see who it was.

"Also will you please get your damn cat out of here? It's staring at me like it wants to eat me or something. Lady? Hello?" The girl finally came out, making sure to stay a good five feet away from him. She was still wearing that dumb wig and that renaissance looking dress and clutching that stupid hair dryer. Flynn had a hard time holding back some snide remarks, but he figured that he might as well be nice to his captor.

"Oh there you are. Wonderful. Stunning gown, really," he complimented, eyeing her from top to bottom. The girl blushed and looked down at her dress, now self-conscious. She regained her composure and brandished her hair dryer at him.

"Who are you?" she asked, eyes narrowed. Flynn raised one eyebrow, but decided to play along.

"Flynn Rider, at your service, your ladyship. And who may I ask do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"Stop that. You're mocking me, I know it. Just because my clothes are a little dated doesn't mean I'm stupid," she said, glaring at him.

"Fine, whatever. Just trying to be nice. I'm Flynn. Who are you?"

"Rapunzel."

"Weird name, but I'll go with it. German?"

"Umm…"

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay. So why have you tied me up in wire and your stockings? This isn't the first time I've been in this situation, but usually the girls who tie me up like this are a lot _nicer_."

"Why are you in my house?"

"Ugh, like I said. I was looking for Gothel's. You know. The famous supermodel?" The girl looked downwards.

"Why were you trying to invade her home?"

"You ask way too many questions."

"Look I'll make a deal with you. Tell my why and I swear I'll tell you where she lives."

"Oh no, it's fine. I already know. She lives in a grey building, right? With an underground tunnel and everything?" Flynn asked sarcastically. This girl wasn't buying it. "Alright fine. But you have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay. I promise. I don't get out much and I don't really have anyone to tell."

"Why does that not surprise me? Okay look, I'm a journalist. I take pictures, write articles, report the truth and whatnot. Times have been tough lately, and I found that you make the most money working at a gossip column. So this Gothel chick, huge in the fashion world right? But no one knows anything about her. Where she comes from, what she's like, how she stays so young looking. So I decided to investigate. If I can get some evidence of something _bad_ that she's done, my career is set. I came inside, looked around, got hit in the head by some crazy girl and now I'm in bondage. Make sense?" The girl looked thoughtful.

"Okay, I'll tell you where she lives," she said. She pointed towards the door. "Three doors down that way to the left. That's her bedroom." Flynn looked skeptical.

"I thought you said she didn't live here. And wait, if she _does_ live here then who the hell are you? Some freaky sex slave?" Rapunzel looked confused.

"I'm her daughter. But it's a really big secret, okay? You can't tell anybody," she begged, her already huge green eyes growing larger. Flynn sighed.

"Fine, fine. I found something I can use already. Let me out of here and I won't tell a soul, I swear. Just give me back my satchel an-"

"No," the girl said, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me, 'no'?"

"That's what I said. Without your purse, you don't have a story. You could go back to the office and tell them all about me, but without evidence, no one will believe you. So let's make another deal."

"_Another?_" he groaned.

"First of all, what's this thing?" she asked, pulling out a small white object from the beat up brown bag. Flynn started laughing again as she held it up.

"Oh geez, come on. How old are you?"

"Eighteen tomorrow."

"And you've never seen a pregnancy test before?"

"Pregnancy means… having a baby, right?"

"Geez, you're sheltered aren't you? Yes. That's a test to see if you're going to have a baby. Found it in the bathroom trash. It's negative, by the way. Your sweet mumsy isn't pregnant." Rapunzel looked forlorn. She hadn't even realized that Mother could ever have a baby. She hadn't really thought about it before. What a shame… a baby would be fun.

"But um, Flynn? See the problem with this is that if you publish this then Mother will know you were inside the house. Then I'll be in loads of trouble."

"That's the beauty of it. It was in the trash. It would have just ended up in the dumpster outside anyway. She'll just think that someone dug through her garbage outside and found this. I get my story, you get your weird relationship and everyone's happy. Well, except for your mom I guess."

"Well… I guess it's okay then."

"So you'll let me go then?"

"No. I still have a deal to make with you."

"Ugh. Fine. Tell me."

"Um… What do you know about that castle outside?"

"You mean Disneyland?" he asked, an expression of disbelief hanging on his face. Who _was_ this girl? Didn't like, everyone in the world know about Disneyland by now?

"Disneyland… that's what it's called? It's the place that has those lights every night. The fire bursting in the sky."

"Fireworks. They're called fireworks."

"And normal people can go to this castle and look at the… fireworks?"

"It's a theme park, so yes. For about eighty bucks a day you can go ride roller coasters and pay for overpriced food." Rapunzel nodded, as if she understood what a theme park was. Or roller coasters. Or bucks. Surely he couldn't be talking about a moose.

"Okay then," she said with finality, "Tomorrow is my birthday. And I really want to go see Disneyland and the fireworks. Take me there today and tomorrow and make sure I get home safely each time. Then tomorrow evening I'll return your… 'pregnancy test' to you."

"And my camera?" he asked. Rapunzel rifled through the bag, finding a heavy black object.

"Oh, that's what that is," she said. Flynn sighed.

"Fine. Look, I don't have the money on me, so you better be paying for this. And I'm not going on rides with you." Rapunzel was too excited that he'd said yes to ask what a 'ride' was. She hopped up and down, arms in the air.

"Also they're not going to let you in with that wig on," Flynn sighed, not looking forward to the next few days. But if it would get him the scoop that he needed, then it'd all be worth it.

"Oh, this isn't a wig," she smiled. Flynn's mouth dropped in disbelief. Rapunzel shook out her ten feet of hair. "Mother doesn't let me cut it."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do with all that?!" he cried. This day was getting weirder and weirder.

"Well umm… Sometimes I braid it and it gets a little shorter. Short enough that it doesn't touch the ground anymore at least. Mother doesn't like me braiding it, but I suppose for the next few days it'll be okay… She's going on a business trip, so she won't be back for a little while." Rapunzel looked at the ground with a sad expression on her face. Flynn felt a small twinge of sympathy for the girl.

"Well, I'm sure they'll still let you in. And hey, you got lucky. Who better to show you Disneyland than the infamous Flynn Rider, former Disneyland employee?" He smiled his most charming smile and the girl instantly brightened.

"You got to work there?" she exclaimed, "Wow that's awesome! It looks like so much fun and everyone there looks happy and you got to work there around all those _people_. You're the lucky one, not me." Flynn smiled at the girl. Her sweetness was almost charming enough to cover up her total cluelessness.

"So, er, maybe you can get me out of these cords and socks now?"


	3. Chapter 2

"So," Flynn began, now free of his bonds, squeezing his forearms trying to get blood pumping in them again. "Let's get started."

"Okay," Rapunzel nodded, "What's first?"

"Well, were gonna need some cash."

"Cash?"

"You know. Money." He gave the girl an exasperated look. Rapunzel just cocked her head, trying to imagine what "money" could possibly be.

"Oh come on! Really? You don't know what money is?"

"It sounds... Kind of familiar?"

"You know. Dollar bills. Small, green, soft paper? Has numbers on it. Or do you not know what those are either?"

"Hey!" Rapunzel said indignantly, "I know what numbers are! I know I'm only just starting calculus but I know about numbers." She crossed her arms and glared at the man, feeling a bit unsure of herself under his towering form.

"Well, umm..." he started, trying to come back with something. Suddenly, Rapunzel moved across the room to a large wooden chest of drawers. Opening one sharply, she began to dig through it. Flynn leaned over trying to get a look at her hurried search when she pulled out a letter-sized envelope and handed it to Flynn.

"Here, I think this is what you're talking about. Mother told me I could have them because they're too wrinkled. I was going to draw on them but somebody already did. The same guy on every page." Flynn opened the envelope and peeked inside. Astonished, he pulled out several (albeit a little crumpled) hundred dollar bills. Rapunzel looked up expectantly as he counted.

"So? Is it enough?" She asked eagerly. Flynn counted out 25 bills. 2500 dollars. He held back his urge to run off with it and instead simply shrugged.

"Yeah, this will get us by. Two days in the park, maybe a souvenir or two. I suppose this will be enough," he said, tucking the envelope in his pocket. Rapunzel beamed at him and he felt a little bad for lying. But she probably wouldn't care if he just kept the remainder.

"So what's next?" she asked, hands on her hips. Flynn looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. Almost noon. Even if this thing panned out they still wouldn't be there long. Maybe he could drag this whole preparation thing out. He half smiled at the girl's excited expression. His eyes dipped from her face and realized exactly what she was wearing.

"Do you have any other clothes?" he asked.

"Sure! I've got a whole closet of them! But I don't think you'll fit..."

"That's not what I meant. Like, do you have any _normal_ looking clothes. Like, jeans and shirts?" Rapunzel walked over to her closet door and pulled it open. Flynn noticed her bare feet and the way she walked on her tiptoes. He peered into the vast walk-in closet and sighed. Wall to wall with nothing but dresses.

"Mother doesn't like me wearing pants. She doesn't think they're feminine."

"Is she from the 18th century too?" Rapunzel looked confused but started digging through racks of pastel colored fabric. She pulled out a simpler dress, no fancy corsetry in the front or big puff sleeves. Flynn still looked at it disdainfully, but then came up with an idea.

"Blondie I'm sorry, but if you want to go, you're going to need some jeans or something. You won't get far in a skirt. It'll get uncomfortable. Trust me." Rapunzel peeked down, slightly self-conscious.

"So what do we do?"

"Well... Either we get you some new duds or we don't go. Trust me; they wouldn't even let you in looking like that. Costumes are strictly forbidden." Rapunzel squeaked and ran away from her dresses as if they were infected. Flynn put a comforting arm over her.

"Look babe," he began as Rapunzel eyed him cautiously, "We can get you some new clothes, but I'm afraid we'd only have enough money to go to Disneyland for one day then." Rapunzel looked forlorn and again Flynn felt the stab of guilt.

"Okay maybe we can afford to go two days." He felt bad about trying to get out of taking her two days, but damnit she just looked too sad. The girl brightened up a bit.

"Wait, Flynn I think Mother has more of that 'money' stuff in her room, want me to go find some?" she asked, eyes beaming into his face.

"No, it's fine. I mean, I just miscounted. We have enough money here, don't worry. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your mom," he mumbled. Rapunzel jumped up and down and he couldn't figure out what she was more excited about: Disneyland or new clothes.

"Please tell me you at least have shoes in there somewhere," Flynn sighed, taking a glance at the enormous closet. Rapunzel popped in for a moment and came back out holding a pair of some slightly run down looking ballerina shoes.

"Mother got these for me a few years ago. I don't wear them much. They're really constricting and I like being able to wiggle my toes." Flynn nodded and motioned for her to put them on. They fit perfectly and he admitted to himself that they looked pretty normal since ballet shoes seemed to be the trend nowadays.

"Alright. So we've got money, we've got shoes, and we'll grab you a new outfit on our way there. What's left?" Flynn asked. His eyes wandered the room stopping at the trail of gold leading up to the head of one very strange girl. Flynn sighed.

"So you think you can braid this insane mop on your head?"

"With your help, yeah," Rapunzel said indignantly.

"Excuse me, _my_ help? No way. This day is getting weirder and weirder and I'm not touching your hair."

"It's just hair, Flynn. Come on, please? It's too hard to do on my own. With your help I can get it tighter and it'll be a shorter braid and less noticeable. That's what you want, right?" Flynn cursed his own words then motioned for Rapunzel to sit down. She took a seat on the floor and Flynn tried not to be weirded out as he touched the length of hair behind her.

"So," he said, trying to break any awkward moments as he separated her hair into three large ropes, "Why _is_ your hair so long?"

"I told you. Mother doesn't let me cut it. She likes it long."

"Ah. That's not creepy at all. Have you ever cut it at all?"

"Nope. Never." Flynn raised his eyebrow at the back of Rapunzel's head and began crossing strands of golden hair over one another.

"I'm having a hard time believing that. So why's it so shiny and soft? That's not a compliment by the way."

"Meanie. It just is soft and shiny."

"Really? It 'just is'? Because I figured it'd be a nightmare to wash and brush and dry, but this stuff feels like silk. Again, not a compliment." Flynn pulled the thick braid tight, and watched as the hair moved closer and closer to her body.

"Look it's just nice hair. Nothing to get worked up over. Also it's kind of a touchy subject so maybe we should just drop it," Rapunzel said quickly.

"Geez, fine," he mumbled, trying to find a way to change the subject, "So you going to give me any hints about where you hid my satchel?"

"Nope. You get it back tomorrow night. After you make sure I'm home safe. That's our deal, Flynn, and you better not think I'm dumb enough to forget it."

"Alright alright. Do you have something to tie this up with?"

"On top of the vanity. There should be some hair thingies," Rapunzel muttered. She listened as Flynn got up and fetched the thick purple hairband. He tied up the bottom of the braid, hoping it would stay.

"Alright it's done," he said. Rapunzel cautiously got up off her knees, slightly off balance by the sudden weight on the back of her head. It wasn't uncomfortable, just different. She walked to her closet and stood in front of the full length mirror, turning on her toes to get a better look. The braid just barely skimmed past the small of her back. She had never seen it so short. She turned to smile at Flynn, who wore a look of boredom on his face. Her smile fell flat.

"Thank you," she said softly, feeling bad about snapping at him earlier about the hair interrogation.

"Yeah sure. No problem."

Rapunzel sat down on her bed and gazed around at her room. Pascal came wandering up to her, mewing softly. He hopped onto the bed, curling up in Rapunzel's lap as she absently pet his soft fur.

"So I'm guessing cats aren't allowed at this Disneyland place, huh?"

"Nope. Sorry kid."

"It's okay. I feel bad for Pascal," Rapunzel scratched behind the fawn colored cat's ears. "Don't worry. I promise to tell you all about it." Flynn walked over and sat down next to the girl.

"Hey are you alright? You don't seem very excited," he said quietly. He looked at Rapunzel's delicate pale hands as she moved them lazily through Pascal's fur.

"I'm okay. Just scared a little I guess. I've never... I've never left home before."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Look, I know this is a weird situation, but thank you for not like, hurting me or being TOO mean to me."

"Sure, no problem kid. Come on, stop pouting. Let's get this show on the road." Flynn stood back up, relieved that the sentimental moment was finally done. Rapunzel rose quietly behind him. As Flynn strode through the hall, Rapunzel followed close behind, as if this was _his_ house and not hers.

They reached the spacious living room and passed by an elaborate looking phone by the front door. Flynn cast a glance at it and got an idea.

"So, uh, does your mother call you on these business trips of hers?"

"Of course! She worries about me, so she makes sure to call every night at 8:30 just to check in and make sure- oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh' is right. What happens if you miss her call?"

"She freaks out. And yells at me. And interrogates me and honestly Flynn, I'm not a very good liar."

"I figured. So we need to make sure we're back by 8:30." Rapunzel looked slightly downcast, but at least she couldn't argue this point. She watched as Flynn swung the heavy wooden door open into a small carpeted lobby that Rapunzel had never even stepped into. He walked out and stood next to a pair of doors. Rapunzel took a hesitant step towards him, unsure of the ground beneath her. Flynn poked at a small circle on the wall and Rapunzel took another step.

"Aren't you going to at least close the door?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh!" Rapunzel turned around and with a quick wave to Pascal, pulled the heavy door shut. She turned to face Flynn, who stood five feet away. It felt more like five thousand.

"Hurry up," he said impatiently, "Elevator's almost here." Rapunzel took a few light steps until she was next to him.

"I know about elevators," she said softly.

"Oh yeah? I thought you'd never left home."

"I haven't. But I watched a fascinating documentary about them. They consist of a cab mounted on a platform within a narrow vertical hallway, usually called a shaft. They used to be powered by steam but nowadays-"

"Okay! I get it! You like elevators. Good for you for knowing their history. Now please. For the love of God. Don't talk to me in the elevator."

Right on time, the doors opened and Flynn and Rapunzel stepped in. As the doors closed, Flynn immediately shut his eyes and clutched onto the railings. He hummed under his breath as Rapunzel tried to figure out what was wrong. She thought about asking him, but then she remembered the big deal he made about not talking in the elevator. She closed her own eyes and tried to picture the inner mechanics of the machine. Just as she got to the advanced system of pulleys, they had hit the ground floor. Fifteen stories went by very quickly in an elevator apparently. Flynn let out a huge breath as the doors slid open. Pushing his way in front of the girl, he took a hurried step into the lobby. Rapunzel followed, her eyes glowing as she took in the front entrance to the building.

The room was spotless. Rapunzel could just barely make out her reflection in sparkling floors. She scanned her eyes over the entire room, impressed by its grandness.

"Come on," Flynn said, "Let's get out of here quickly. I'd personally like to avoid anybody who might question who we are." Rapunzel bounded after him, only pausing at the glass doors. She glanced at the street outside where cars passed by her faster than she could count. Flynn held the door open for her and with a short eyebrow raise asked her the very question she'd been wanting to hear for her whole life:

"You coming Blondie?"

* * *

"So Flynn… Tell me more about Disneyland. What are rides?" Rapunzel said, breaking the silence as Flynn drove to a nearby "mall" (whatever that was).

"Rides, huh? Okay. Remember how you freaked out when I started the car and we started moving?"

_"Flynn! What was that?!"_

_"Relax. It was just the engine. Geez, I know this car is crap, but calm down, it's not going to explode."_

_"Are you sure? Machines can fail, Flynn, I've seen it before!"_

_"Says the girl who never stepped out of her house."_

_"Documentaries, Flynn! Documentaries about cars and buildings and and and… and elevators!"_

_"I get it! You're a genius! Now be quiet, I gotta concentrate on getting this car on the road!"_

Rapunzel looked at her lap and nervously tugged at the seatbelt. It's true, she was a little bit wary at first about getting in the old, beat-up red car.

"I relaxed, remember? And I actually like the driving part. It's nice. I like moving fast."

"Then you're gonna love rides. They're sort of hard to explain. But a lot of them are like being in a car. A really fast car. With no roof." The two were silent as Flynn pulled up to an enormous building. Rapunzel was trying hard not to show that she was fascinated by every building they passed. Flynn found a parking spot near the sidewalk and inched the car in. Unfortunately the guys next to him had done a bad job of parking and Rapunzel found that there was no way she'd be able to open her door wide enough for her to squeeze through. Flynn got out of his own seat and motioned for Rapunzel to exit on his side. As she made her way over the center console, she tripped over herself, her face nearly landing on the pavement.

"See, this is why dresses are a bad idea. No maneuverability," said Flynn as he helped her up.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said softly, brushing her dress off, "Where are we anyway?"

"The mall. We're gonna get you hooked up with some new clothes. I've been dragged into this store half a dozen times by other girls, and as much as I hated it, at least the clothes here are cheap." Rapunzel followed Flynn closely and was astonished to see that the door opened automatically without him even touching it. Her attention was quickly drawn to the enormous room she was now standing in. Then her eyes caught on the clothes. They were all colors and all sizes. There were dresses and skirts and pants and shirts and jackets and socks and shoes and pajamas and…

"Hey, snap out of it," Flynn said, waving a hand in front of Rapunzel's face. She shook her head quickly.

"Sorry, sorry. Never been in a store before. It's so… big…"

"Yeah, I know. Don't let it overwhelm you. We're only here to get a couple shirts and some jeans, okay? Maybe a jacket too, you'll probably be needing one," he said, his voice trailing off as Rapunzel took a step closer to a nearby display. She looked at the mannequin inquisitively. She tried to copy the statue's position, one hand on her hip, the other floating in the air as if she was balancing something. Flynn couldn't help but crack a smile at her. Fortunately it was a Tuesday afternoon and not terribly busy. A tall woman on heels clacked her way over to the odd pair and smiled brightly. She was faking it. Flynn was good at picking these things up.

"Hello there! Can I help you two find something today?" Rapunzel bounded up to her.

"Yes! Um, Flynn says I need new clothes because we're going to Disneyland today and they don't let you wear costumes there, even though this isn't really a costume, it's just a normal dress I wear, but I guess it's a costume to some people…"

"We need a couple shirts and a pair of jeans for her," Flynn cut in, fake smiling right back at the saleswoman. She cast a cool glance at him and back at Rapunzel.

"Well dear, let's get started then."

* * *

"Flynn?"

"Right here Blondie."

"Can you come in here?"

"No Blondie. It's a women's fitting room. No guys allowed."

"Oh. Okay. I'm just having some trouble."

"With?"

"The pants. The zipper goes in the back right?"

"No Blondie. You've got them on backwards."

"Oh."

* * *

"Flynn, Flynn! Look at this necklace! It's so shiny! It looks like the apartment lobby." Rapunzel held up a simple silver chain with a small heart at the bottom. It was nice to see a girl go for a simple piece for once. He was starting to get sick of big chunky jewelry that just got in the way.

"Hey, it's your money, if you want it, you should get it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure. Just don't go overboard." With a little squeal, Rapunzel tossed the necklace on top of the small stack of clothes that Flynn carried. He rolled his eyes but walked dutifully behind her as she strode through the store. She had already picked out a couple shirts and a pair of jeans and a sweater. He smiled as the girl skipped ahead of him and for a moment he forgot that half the store was staring at the strange girl and her renaissance era dress.

After a few more stops in the jewelry department they finally made their way to a register. The same sneering saleslady stood at the register flashing her pearly whites.

"Is that going to be all for you, _honey_?" she asked Rapunzel, her voice dripping with syrupy sweetness.

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks," Flynn interjected. Rapunzel looked confused but nodded anyway. Flynn watched as the snippy saleslady scanned everything. She was probably thinking about telling all her friends about the weird medieval girl with the crazy braided hair that waltzed into her store today. Flynn didn't like people being teased. He wasn't the nicest guy, but at least he was outright with his rudeness. He watched as the total grew higher and higher, but was thankful to see it capped under a hundred dollars. Then he remembered that for once, he wasn't the one paying. He pulled a hundred out of the envelope in his pocket and handed it over as Rapunzel watched eagerly.

The saleslady handed back his change and he shoved it in the envelope discreetly. Rapunzel snatched up her big plastic bag and beamed up at the tottering woman.

"Come on Blondie, let's go," Flynn said, pulling her empty hand towards the door. Rapunzel gave a quick wave to the saleswoman and skipped ahead. Flynn groaned inwardly at her enthusiasm.

"Wait, why aren't we going back to the car?" she said.

"There's a bathroom nearby and you gotta get changed." Without another word he led her to a women's room and sat on a bench, collecting his thoughts.

_It's not all bad when you put it in perspective. I'm chaperoning a sheltered girl with ten feet long hair. I get a free trip to Disneyland. That's fun, right? Haven't been there in a couple years. I really hope I don't run into anyone. Two days there. More like one and half, really. Then I get my big story and never have to see this girl again. She gets her eighteenth birthday, I get my career. Everybody wins._

Flynn sat there a few minutes, his head in his hands. The only way he could see himself getting out of this now was taking her back home and torturing her to tell him where she hid his bag. But that was just evil. Still, maybe he'd snap a few discreet pictures of her before he left for good. Just for the trouble she caused him. A hidden adult child is a bigger story than a pregnancy scare. Besides, maybe it'd actually help her out if people knew she existed. He could even visualize the Facebook group: "Set Rapunzel free!" A soft creak made him look up from his lonely bench to see Rapunzel stepping out of the restroom.

"Wow," he said simply.

"That was a sarcastic 'wow', wasn't it?" Rapunzel mumbled.

"No, no, you look, uh, good. It's a nice change." She smiled slightly and uncrossed her arms. The snippy saleslady had helped her pick out a pair of slightly flared jeans and a dark purple tank top. She layered over her new light gray hoodie and topped it off with the necklace she had picked out.

"Say, that looks an awful lot like my satchel, Blondie. I'm not rubbing off on you, am I?" he joked, gesturing towards the simple brown bag across her shoulder. She laughed softly.

"No, but really, you look nice," he complimented, "More like you're actually from this era." Rapunzel's eyes lit up as she followed him out to the car, still clutching the remaining clothes and her old dress in the big plastic bag. Fortunately, the car that had been parked next to them vanished and getting in was much less of a hassle than it was getting out. Rapunzel gazed out the window as Flynn backed out of the parking lot and headed towards the street.

"We'll be there soon, okay? I've got one really big rule for today and tomorrow. Please, don't leave my sight. You have no idea how easy it is to get lost there and we can't really risk getting separated, okay?"

"Okay, I understand. You know, you're starting to sound like you actually care about today, Flynn. Like you maybe actually want me to have a good time," Rapunzel said. Flynn tightened his jaw and kept his mouth shut, eyes on the road. The remainder of the drive was quiet until finally they reached the front gates. And that's when the questions began.

* * *

"Flynn? Why are there so many of those three circle things? You know, like the two circles on top of another circle? Like that one!" Rapunzel said, pointing.

"Mickey Mouse. He's sort of like the mascot. You'll be seeing a lot of those probably."

"Huh. Okay."

* * *

"Flynn! Look at how big this building is! Is this Disneyland?"

"No, this is just the parking structure."

"Oh."

* * *

"Flynn? Flynnnn? FLYNN!"

"Yes?!"

"Well, I mean, we parked the car and everything, so where's Disneyland?"

"We have to take a tram to get there. You'll like it. It's like a car," Flynn said, breathing in deeply.

"We're still not there yet?"

"No, Blondie. The ride will take five minutes, then we just have to buy tickets, okay?"

"Well, I've waited this long," she muttered as Flynn tried to keep his cool.

* * *

Flynn commended himself on being so patient. This was abnormal for him. Usually by now he would have left and just gone home. It's amazing the things that money can inspire a person to do.

Being a Tuesday afternoon in September, it wasn't very busy. Flynn was pleased to find that there was no line at the ticket booth.

"Hello there!" said the cheerful man in the booth.

"Hi!" Rapunzel chirped back to him.

"What can I do for you two today?" the man said, poised over his cash register.

"Can I get two passes? Uh, the two day kind, please," Flynn said to the cashier.

"Alrighty! Do you plan on going back and forth between parks? For an extra-"

"Yeah, that sounds great, go ahead."

"It's my birthday tomorrow and I've never been to Disneyland before!" Rapunzel quipped.

"Well that's wonderful, little lady!" the man said, as he printed out their tickets. As he passed the tickets to the pair, he also gave a button to Rapunzel that said "First Time Visitor".

"Thank you," Rapunzel said in awe. She quickly fastened it to her top and beamed at the pleasant man in the booth.

"Great. We could use more attention," Flynn muttered. Just as they turned to leave the ticket man spoke one more time.

"Oh, folks! I hate to have to tell you this, but the fireworks are cancelled tonight."

Rapunzel felt like someone had just taken the whole good day she'd been having and they smashed it on the ground and ripped it up into a million pieces.

"What?" Flynn said sharply.

"I'm sorry. There was a major error in the show that could have put some people at danger. It'll be up tomorrow night though, for sure."

"Of course. You can count on Disney to fix major errors overnight," Flynn said facetiously. He peeked over at Rapunzel, whose eyes were big and worried. He turned back to the salesman.

"Well, thanks anyways for the heads up," he said, walking over to Rapunzel, who had looked so happy just moments ago. He draped a hand on her shoulder and led her away.

"Come on, Blondie. You're still gonna have a good day, I promise. Here, follow me," he said, mustering up as much niceness as he could. They walked opposite the Disneyland entrance, but Rapunzel scarcely noticed. She tried to tell herself that she was going to have fun today no matter what.

"Flynn, I've just been waiting so long and-"

"I know, Blondie. It'll be okay. It's just one more night," he said in a comforting voice. He didn't understand why he was being so nice, but he figured maybe the pipsqueak was just growing on him. He shrugged it off and followed close behind as she walked towards the entrance to the other theme park.


	4. Chapter 3

Flynn watched as Rapunzel stumbled through the turnstiles, getting her hand stamped along the way, signifying she was allowed back in if she decided to leave and return later. He strolled up behind her casually, waltzing through the turnstile and waving a hand towards the woman stamping hands. Rapunzel turned around, stomping a foot as Flynn took his sweet time. Laughing, he sped up slightly to catch up to the impatient girl. Snatching up his hand she began to drag him past the entrance alleyway, following the small crowd ahead of her.

"Hey hey hey!" Flynn said, pulling his hand away as if Rapunzel's was made of acid, "I do _not_ hold hands with crazy girls! I'm not your boyfriend, I'm your blackmailed chaperone. So to reiterate: No hand-holding." Rapunzel glared at him but didn't argue. She sped up, which only caused Flynn to move faster. She hurried along the path, but he caught up to her again, even inching his way past her. She was about to start running when he cut her off. She stood, arms crossed (probably something she had learned from him), and narrowed her eyes.

"Look Rapunzel, if we're gonna do this thing, you've got to stay close. If I lose you, it's going to be really hard for you to get back home. You'll be lost and miserable and I won't get my stuff back. Okay? So we need to at least be on the same page here." Rapunzel looked down, her eyes pointed toward her shoes. Eugene sighed, but continued.

"I'm sorry they're not showing the fireworks tonight. Shit happens," he said, glancing at Rapunzel's questioning gaze. _Whoops. Didn't mean to swear_. "Anyway, just try to look at it this way: They'll be extra special tomorrow night, when it's your birthday. I'll do my best to make today good too, okay? And I'm sorry for calling you crazy," he mumbled sheepishly.

"I want an apology for you lying too," she said, her eyes back on the ground. She wasn't really used to standing up for herself.

"Lying? Sorry, I do that a lot. You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Earlier you said we wouldn't have enough to go _both_ days after buying these oh-so-important clothes. I did the math, Flynn. We have more than enough money. I'm not dumb," she muttered. Flynn looked around, mentally willing everyone walking by to just keep ignoring them. It wasn't really working. People continued to stare at the miserable young woman. Then again, it was probably the thick braid down her back that was catching their attention.

"Okay, fine, yes I lied. And I _am_ sorry. I felt bad about it right after. I'll make it up to you, I promise," he said, repeating words he'd said dozens of times in his life. However, what he did next was a first in his lifetime.

"Here, you can hold onto the money," he said, pulling the envelope out of his pocket and stuffing it into her purse. Rapunzel made a surprised face and watched as Flynn turned out each pocket, revealing that they were all empty except for one which held his wallet. But he opened that up to show her he only had a few dollars to his name.

"It's your money anyway and you know how to buy stuff now," he said with some finality, as if a weight was off his shoulders. Rapunzel looked up and smiled.

"I forgive you," she said sweetly, giving him a quick hug. Flynn stiffened up for a moment, but relaxed as she dropped her arms and backed away. Flynn dusted off the invisible dirt from his top as Rapunzel twisted the fabric of her own shirt.

"Anyway, hand-holding rule still stands," Flynn said gruffly. Rapunzel nodded and moved in next to him as they continued walking.

"So this isn't Disneyland?" she asked.

"Nope. California Adventure. Sort of like the less popular sister park. Still fun, don't worry. Remember how I told you about Disney starting with movies? Well, Disneyland is sort of focused mostly around the characters of those movies. This place is more of a standalone park. It's fun though, pinky swear," he said, holding out the pinky on his left hand towards her. Unsure of what to do, Rapunzel grabbed it and shook it as if they were shaking hands. He gave her a small smile as they rounded a corner. As the attractions came into view, Rapunzel's eye grew wide.

They had entered an enormous plaza, where activity buzzed at every corner. People chattered and children laughed. Vendors sold their wares, ranging from bottled water and sodas to giant turkey legs and overfilled bags of popcorn. More people than Rapunzel had seen in her whole life of street watching were now gathered in one big courtyard. She gazed around and took in the sights. Everything was bright and colorful and _beautiful_.

"Well Blondie? What do you think?" Rapunzel didn't respond, instead simply continuing to stare. Flynn chuckled and waved a hand in front of her eyes. Rapunzel jumped and looked back at her chaperone, grinning at her. She smiled back.

"So what do we do first?" she asked.

"That's what I'm asking you, kid. What do you feel like doing? We can grab something to eat if you're hungry…" Flynn's voice trailed off as Rapunzel's eyes caught on an enormous silver building.

"Flynn? What's in there?" she asked. Flynn gave her a sly smile.

"Ready for your first ride, Blondie?"

"Definitely."

"You like heights?"

"Love 'em."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Only a five minute wait in line. You're not gonna get this opportunity again today." The two watched as nearby people started heading towards the entrance of the ride.

"Come on then, slowpoke!" Rapunzel laughed, nearly running to her goal. Flynn kept up with her, staring at the thick braid bouncing against her lower back, still not sure how it got condensed from ten feet of hair to two and half. He snapped back to the present as Rapunzel, turned around and flashed her bright eyes at him. He smiled as they came to a stop in the line and was pleased to see the line was still pretty short, despite the amount of people that had just barely beaten them. He was even happier to see that Rapunzel was totally distracted by her surroundings.

_Maybe she'll lay off the questions for a little while._

"Hey Flynn?"

_Nevermind_

* * *

"Flynn that was amazing!" Rapunzel gushed, eyes lit up and cheeks glowing.

"I know it was. You've been saying that since we left the building. Fifteen minutes ago." They were now sitting at a small table overlooking a sunny pavilion outside the ride exit. Flynn watched in mild amusement as Rapunzel downed a bottle of Mountain Dew, claiming that "Mother never let me have soda!"

"Bu Flynn, it _was_ amazing. Is that was California looks like? All those orange trees and fields and oceans? I know geography and all the states but I didn't know about all the actual_stuff_ we had in our state! And the ride itself was great! I felt like we were millions of feet in the air when we were only like, five feet off the ground!" Rapunzel babbled excitedly between bites of pizza. Flynn had his own empty plate in front of him, opting for just one slice as opposed to Rapunzel's three.

"Yup, that's California for ya. Pretty, huh?" Rapunzel nodded and gazed around. She suddenly swallowed her bite of pizza and pointed out the giant ferris wheel towering in the distance behind Flynn.

"Flynn! Can we go on that next?" she asked, bouncing in her seat. Flynn glanced behind him, regretting letting her have so much sugar.

"How about we wait a little while, Blondie? Trust me, a stomach full of junk food, you _don't_ want to go on any rides for a little while," he said, turning back to face her. Rapunzel made a face at him, but nodded in agreement.

"Okay, well, what else do we do here?" Rapunzel said, after her last bite of pizza.

"We can walk around for a bit. There's shops and games, stuff like that." Rapunzel jumped out of her chair, snatching up her plate and bottle.

"Don't make me wait any longer Flynn!" she called, slamming her garbage in the trash can. Soon enough they were headed towards the fake midway that occupied the other side of the park.

"I see what you mean about getting lost, Flynn," Rapunzel said softly, evading people passing by. She carefully pulled the map out of her pocket. She had grabbed it earlier from an information stand. Turning it back and forth, she tried to decipher where they were, as Flynn chuckled under his breath.

"Don't worry kid, I worked here for about five years. I know this place like the back of my hand. Sort of. I mean, they've put up some new stuff, but I still know my way around," he said, smiling charmingly.

"Flynn? Why do you call me 'kid'? Are you really old?"

"I'm offended, really. How old do you think I am, Blondie?" Rapunzel stared intently at his face and Flynn couldn't help but be a little bit self-conscious.

"Thirty-two," she said with finality.

"What? _Thirty-two_? Really?"

"Too young?" Rapunzel asked innocently.

"For your information, _kiddo_, I'm at the ripe young age of twenty-six, thank you very much. And looking pretty good for it if you ask me."

"Well, excuuuuse me. It's not _my_ fault if I've only really seen one other person my whole life."

"That's true," Flynn said thoughtfully, considering it a moment, "So how come your mom keeps you a secret anyway?" But Rapunzel was already distracted by the midway just ahead of them. Her senses flared at the ringing bells and flashing lights. She quickly ran to the nearest stall.

"Hey little lady!" the man behind the counter greeted

"Hi!" Rapunzel replied excitedly, "It's my first time here." She pointed to the button affixed to her shirt.

"Well it's great to have you here!" he said, "Now let me introduce you to my stand. You get three balls to try to knock down those bottles over there." He gestured to the three upright bottles set up on the table behind him.

"Five dollars a game. Care to play?" he offered as Flynn made his way to Rapunzel, "Or perhaps your boyfriend would like to try?"

"Oh no no no no no, not boyfriend. Rapunzel, maybe we should go…" Flynn said, leading her away.

"Too afraid to fail?" the man called after them. Flynn turned on his heel and faced the smirking man.

"Rapunzel, give me a five." She narrowed her eyes, but did as he asked. Flynn slammed the bill on the counter. He was handed three baseballs in return.

"Alright Blondie, watch this," Flynn muttered, turning the first ball around in his palm. He drew back and with a mighty toss… it missed. By about three feet.

"That was just a warm-up," he said assuredly. Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, but kept her mouth shut. He threw the second ball and watched in dismay as it brushed past the top bottle, making it wobble slightly, but ultimately staying planted where it was.

"Stupid game is rigged!" he bristled, throwing his arms up. He started to walk away but paused when he noticed Rapunzel wasn't following. He turned to see her holding the last baseball. He watched in disbelief as her gentle toss knocked over the triangle of bottles.

"Pick your prize, miss!" the attendant announced. Flynn rolled his eyes and stood back with his arms crossed.

"Oh wow, Flynn! I get a prize too! I thought it was just a game," she laughed. She turned her attention to the wall of stuffed animals behind the counter. After much deliberation, she pointed to a modest-looking, medium-sized bear with a red bow around its neck. The man handed her the bear and Flynn watched as Rapunzel cuddled it to her chest. She skipped over to him with a grin on her face.

"Look Flynn! Isn't he sweet? I think I'll call him-" Her musings were interrupted by soft sobbing a few feet away. The two watched as a tired mother dragged her son down the boardwalk. Rapunzel's heart broke as the boy stumbled along the path.

"Mommy, I looked everywhere!" he sobbed, "But I can't find Brownie!"

"I'm sorry honey! I don't know where your stuffed dog is," she sighed exasperatedly. Without a word, Rapunzel walked towards the crying child, leaving Flynn behind.

"Excuse me," she said softly. The mother stopped walking and turned around, half-expecting someone to chew her out over her crying child. Instead, all she saw was a young woman getting on her knees in front of the boy. He sniffled and stared at his shoes, waiting for the lady to shame him for crying so loudly.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Rapunzel began, "But I was wondering if you can help me. You see, I don't have room in my purse to carry my new friend around all day, and I was hoping I could find someone nice who might take him home." She held out her bear to the boy, whose eyes lit up. Looking up at his mother, who nodded her approval, he snatched the bear from Rapunzel's hands. He stared at the young lady with adoring eyes.

"What's his name?" the boy asked.

"Why don't you ask him?" she replied, a warm smile on her face. The boy brought the bear up to his face, listening intently and nodding along to imaginary words.

"He says his name is Rufus."

"That makes sense," Rapunzel said, nodding seriously, "He seems like he would be a Rufus." She stood back up and began to leave.

"Thank you," the mother called to her, ushering her now-calm son through the park.

"Rapunzel, that was amazing," Flynn said in momentary awe as she approached him.

"T-t-thank you," Rapunzel respond, surprised.

"No, really. You're good with kids. That's a very… admirable skill." Rapunzel smiled bashfully, her cheeks reddening.

"It was nothing. He just looked like he needed a friend."

"It was more than just nothing. Trust me, it's quite the task to calm down a six-year-old."

"You have experience?"

"Huh? Uh, no. Hey, look at that," he stammered, pointing towards a storefront. Rapunzel shrugged off the sudden change of subject and walked into the gift shop with him, busying herself by admiring trinkets. Flynn watched as she flipped through postcards, gazing at the landscapes adorned on each one. A smile played on her lips, and Flynn found himself oddly fascinated by it. Her lips were a smooth soft pink color, perfectly contoured. Smiling just made them look even nicer. _Shit, what am I thinking?_ Snapping out of his daze, he diverted his attention to the glass case in front of him. _Of course._

Flynn had attempted to give up stealing a couple years ago, but his instincts always seemed to lead him back to the expensive stuff. He nonchalantly perused the flashing necklaces and shining rings. He ignored the itching in his fingers, aching for the familiar motion of snatching something and pocketing it. He forced his feet to bring him back to Rapunzel. She had moved onto admiring fridge magnets now.

"Why don't you buy one?" Flynn blurted out. Rapunzel jumped in surprise at his sudden outburst. He regretted it instantly, not meaning to startle her.

"Oh! Well, that's obvious isn't it? Mother would be sure to find it," she said, lowering her voice.

"There's nowhere you can hide it? Come on Rapunzel, surely there's some place in the house she wouldn't look." Rapunzel chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Well, she doesn't really go into the library much."

"You guys have a library? Geez, how'd I miss _that_?"

"It's an itty-bitty one. Smaller than my closet. Mother doesn't read much, plus it's mostly mechanical manuals and cookbooks. But it would still be tough to hide something like this," she mumbled, turning a cheesy surfboard magnet over in her hands. Flynn slid over to the postcards and plucked one out at random.

"I'm sure you can hide this in a book." Rapunzel took the postcard from his hand and delicately traced her finger along the top. Flynn celebrated inwardly for picking the right card. The front was adorned with a snapshot of fireworks in the sky.

"Well..." she murmured, "I suppose I could slip this in a book and hide it deep in the bookshelves." Flynn gave her a reassuring smile and she grinned back in return.

"One problem though," she said.

"Yeah?"

"How do I buy this?"

Flynn chuckled and pointed towards a store clerk.

"Give it to him and when he tells you how much money it is, you count it out and give it to him. It's easiest if you just give him more than he asks for, and he'll just give you the change. Rapunzel nodded, still slightly unsure of herself. Nonetheless, she advanced towards the cashier. Flynn watched as she placed the postcard on the counter and withdrew a several dollar bills from her purse. The man looked confused and handed most of the bills back. As he looked down to get her change, Rapunzel spun around and gave an excited look to Flynn, who returned her happy expression with a thumbs up. Rapunzel retrieved her change, shoving it in her purse. With a flourish, the man handed over her postcard and she skipped over to Flynn.

"Did you see that? I just bought something! That was easy."

"I told you so." The two left the store, leaving the muddled salesman behind. They continued along the boardwalk for a while, stopping occasionally to let Rapunzel gawk over something. She couldn't help but notice as her surroundings changed abruptly. After a while, she tapped Flynn's shoulder and expressed her concerns.

"Flynn I think we're somewhere else."

"Uh, what do you mean, somewhere else?"

"Well, we were at like a beach themed place and now we're in a tall building themed place."

"It's supposed to be Hollywood, Blondie."

"Oh, of course. That's um, the movie place, right?"

"Yup. No offense, but I'm kind of surprised you know that."

"Mother goes there sometimes for modeling shoots. One time she came back and mentioned that Hollywood is where they make a lot of movies. But I'm not really allowed to watch movies."

"Why not?"

"Mother doesn't want me learning stories. That's why I can only watch educational stuff. She says that fiction is bad for a young growing mind."

"Your mom sounds like a wackjob."

"Flynn, I'm going to pretend you didn't just insult my mother. Now why don't you tell me what that is?" Rapunzel said, pointing at an enormous dark building in the distance.

"Uh, nothing, nothing. Just a building. Not important," Flynn said, attempting to keep his cool.

"I think it says 'Hotel' on it," Rapunzel said, peering at the tower. She checked her map for the important landmark and Flynn tried to hurry her into a different area, searching desperately for a distraction.

"Oh here it is! 'The Tower of Terror'. Oh, Flynn that sounds like fun! It must be new, that's why you didn't know what it was."

"Yeah, exactly," he mumbled under his breath, "You know Blondie, we probably shouldn't go. I mean, you're just getting the hang of these rides and you don't wanna upset your stomach after all that pizza and-"

"Flynn that was like, an hour ago! I'll be fine. Come on, don't be a baby! I'm sure it's a lot of fun. I thought you said you liked rides,"

"I do! It's just, uh, that one doesn't look like much fun,"

"How do you know? I thought you didn't know what it was," Rapunzel smirked. Flynn glared at her.

"Okay fine. I know what it is. It's just not one of my favorite rides," he scowled. Rapunzel looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Flynn, please? I really wanna go but I don't wanna go alone. Pretty please?"

"... Fine."

"Yay!" Rapunzel shrieked. She bounced towards the towering hotel building as Flynn tried to think through what he just agreed to.

_Why did I say yes? Geez, it coulda been any ride in the whole park and she had to choose that one. Why can't she just go alone? No, with her terrible sense of direction she'd probably get lost wandering out of the gift shop. It's just one little ride. It's not like it's a real_ _elevator. You can do this, Flynn. Think of the fame and money that goes along with this whole crazy fiasco. I can do this._

And so, with a little extra confidence in his step, Flynn strode over to Rapunzel. She gave him an encouraging smile and the two walked to the entrance together. Flynn frowned at the twenty minute long wait. Great. Why not drag out the anticipation further? With a heavy sigh, he settled into his spot in line, eyes on the back of Rapunzel's head. He couldn't help but be baffled by her hair whenever he spotted it, just like everyone else they has passed. She was bouncing up and down to an imaginary song in her own head. Flynn couldn't help but crack a smile. Once you got over the weirdness of her, she was really sweet. There was definitely worse company to keep.

* * *

Flynn kept his cool during the wait in line, even when Rapunzel giggled over the idea of a haunted elevator. He was calm when they sat down and strapped in, despite Rapunzel's fascination with unfastening and re-fastening her seat belt He even bit his lip when the ride operator wished them a pleasant journey in a chilling voice.

It was when they started to ascend that he snapped.

"Rapunzel," he whispered fervently as the elevator rose faster and faster, "Rapunzel I have to tell you something. I have this crazy fear-"

"Of elevators. I know," she smirked, "I kinda figured it out on my own."

"What?!" he yelped, clutching tightly to the bars on either side of him as the elevator came to a stop. Rapunzel sat still in her spot, fascinated by the projected "ghosts" floating around in front of her. Suddenly the elevator pulled up again. As they moved quickly through the shaft, Rapunzel leaned in towards Flynn.

"I thought maybe this would help you get over your fear," she whispered nervously, unsure of her decision now. Flynn stared at her, mouth agape. Light filled the cabin as the elevator doors opened, revealing the entire park below them. Flynn felt a slight calm. Heights didn't scare him. In fact he loved being up high. But enclosed spaces were a little unnerving. Enclosed spaces climbing higher and higher with no way of escape? That was the stuff of nightmares. Flynn's momentary relaxation was shattered when the elevator cab was pulled down sharply, faster than gravity would have pulled them down. Shrill screams rose up from all sides of him, and he relished the look of terror on Rapunzel's face.

_Good. If I have to suffer, so should she. Wait. Am I suffering?_

Actually, Flynn was kind of having fun. He had always refused to ride this one back when he worked in the park simply because it was elevator themed but it actually was pretty great. He laughed out loud and it was Rapunzel's turn to stare at him in disbelief. He winked at her and couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when the rushing feeling in his stomach settled as the elevator made its way down the shaft to the exit. He stood up confidently and helped Rapunzel out of her seat. She opened her mouth to thank him but instead she found herself groaning.

"Ugh, Flynn my stomach feels like it's upside down," she moaned. He held her elbow as they walked down the hallway towards the inevitable gift shop. She wobbled slightly in her steps and Flynn couldn't help but feel slightly smug. Even the guy who was afraid of elevators could handle that thing better than her! Wait. The guy who _was_ afraid of elevators. Flynn conjured up every image of elevators stored away in the dark recesses his brain and found himself unflinching of them all. He turned to look at Rapunzel in amazement, her eyes still downcast, her hand on her stomach.

"Blondie! You did it!" he exclaimed, pausing in the side of the hallway to hug her.

"Did what?" she moaned.

"Elevators. I'm not scared anymore! Blondie, I'm cured! Heck, I could go on that thing over and over and over again, I bet!" he half-yelled, shaking the poor girl. He finally stopped when he noticed her green face and the people staring at them.

"Oh, Flynn that's great," she said, smiling slightly, "But can we please not go on again?" He chuckled slightly and helped her along the rest of the hallway.

"Yeah, no problem Blondie. Let's get you something for that stomach," he suggested as they entered the gift shop. His hand slipped slightly along her arm, moving from her elbow to her hand. And just for a second, Flynn didn't notice her hand slipping into his. But the moment was over quickly, ending in awkward laughter and apologies. Flynn couldn't help but notice the shine in Rapunzel's eyes when she laughed, sparkling and twinkling in the light. As they walked back out into the sunlight, now armed with stomach antacids, Flynn couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed looking at his watch, declaring that it was almost four.

"So Blondie," he sighed, "what are we conquering next?"

* * *

A/N: So I know it takes me a crazy amount of time to release a new chapter but wow, it's like all my teachers give me huge amounts of homework all at the same time. Really, I work on this fanfic a lot. I'm always scribbling down passages in my boring classes and then typing them up later. I'm really happy people like the idea of Flynn and Punzie in DL and CA. I played with the idea a couple months ago and finally decided to put it down in writing. Also, I'd like to include that this isn't some big fanfic about how much I love Disneyland and blah blah blah. I'm not here to promote it. Unless they pay me (fingers crossed). So yeah, I'm including rides and characters and movies, but I'm not gonna go deep into description. For instance, the two rides Flynn and Rapunzel were on in this chapter were "Soarin' over California" and "The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror" (respectively). The way I see it, if you've been to California Adventure, you've probably been on these rides or at least know of them and don't NEED a description. Anyway, if you guys would prefer me to write detailed descriptions of each ride, I will. I just don't wanna sound like some cheesy online guide to Disneyland. Also, thank you for reading, it means a lot to me. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.


	5. Chapter 4

Rapunzel leaned out the ferris wheel gondola, head resting on her folded arms. She gazed below at the tiny people as they wandered through the park. The sun was setting and they'd have to leave soon, but Rapunzel had begged Flynn to go on one more ride. She snuck a quick peek over at him. He was in the opposite side of the gondola, stretched out casually, one arm hanging out the side. His eyes were closed and Rapunzel wondered if he was asleep. He'd had an exhausting day chasing her around. Rapunzel let her mind wander to the things they had done that day, remembering how patient he had been with her. She pulled herself away from the side and relaxed into the seat. Her stomach growled, but she had insisted on making dinner when Flynn returned her home. He hesitantly agreed, but Rapunzel was too excited at the prospect of cooking for someone else to notice his nervousness. Flynn didn't exactly get offered a warm homemade meal often, so he wasn't too sure how to respond to the offer. But he had a feeling that Rapunzel didn't get the chance to offer it much.

"Hey Flynn?" Rapunzel whispered.

"Mm-hmm?" he replied, eyes still shut tight.

"Tell me about your life."

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Blondie, why should I open up when I don't know a damn thing about _your_ crazy life?" he retorted, straightening up and opening his eyes. Rapunzel looked shocked, and turned her eyes down.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Flynn apologized softly, "I didn't mean to snap at you. I just don't really do backstory."

"No, no. It's fine. You're right. I'm trusting you with my life here, at the very least you deserve the truth. Ask me anything, I'll do my best to answer." Flynn raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

"Okay Blondie. Tell me about your hair. Why in the world do you have ten feet of perfect, golden hair?" Rapunzel shifted uneasily and laughed nervously as the gondola moved close to the top of the wheel.

"My hair... Okay," she began, taking a deep breath, "I have magic hair that heals wounds and reverses aging. If it gets cut, it loses its magic and turns brown." She removed a small, short lock of brown hair from the nape of her neck. Flynn gave her a reproachful look, but shrugged. Obviously she had invented this crazy story up, but Flynn decided to leave the issue where it was. If she was insane and had an emotional attachment to her hair, then why should he object?

"Well, I guess that it makes sense now why you can't cut it," he said. Rapunzel relaxed, relieved that he didn't think she was lying. She smiled, playing with her braid.

"It's your turn to answer a question now, Flynn."

"Alright, hit me," he said, leaning back against the seat. The gondola was inching closer to the ground now and Flynn knew their time on the wheel was limited.

"How come you stopped working here?"

"Huh?"

"I don't see why you wouldn't want to work here anymore, Flynn," she sighed softly, gazing out over the park. He frowned, unsure of why he didn't want to answer.

"They, uh... The caught me stealing," he admitted reluctantly.

"Oh."

"Yeah. It was a couple years ago. I started working here right outta high school. I thought it was great," he laughed softly, reminiscing, "But they don't exactly pay well. And I got greedy. So I started stealing from the shops and selling back what I stole. Well, it took 'em a while, but they finally caught me. Kicked me out. I lasted a couple months on the stuff I stole, but eventually I needed another job.

"I discovered how easy it was for me to sneak around celebrities and snap picture of their worst moments. I sold my stories and pictures to the paper. Well, a couple weeks ago the boss gave me an assignment. Dig up something on Gothel, err... your mom, and I'd get a permanent job at the office. I just couldn't really pass that up."

"I'm sorry, Flynn," Rapunzel whimpered.

"What are _you_ sorry about?" he asked incredulously.

"For blackmailing you," she sniffled, "You're just trying to get a job and I'm here keeping you further away from it and wasting your time." Flynn saw a gleam from the corner of her eye.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Rapunzel," he sighed, scooting over to sit next to her. He patted her hand awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She leaned her head against her shoulder, and he tensed up, then relaxed slightly.

"Um, hey? You wanna hear something funny?" he asked quietly, attempting to cheer her up. She sniffed and looked up at him.

"Okay."

"What if I told you my name isn't really Flynn?" he asked. Rapunzel gasped slightly and looked at him wide-eyed.

"But if you aren't Flynn Rider, who are you?" she said, clutching her braid away from him as if he were an evil imposter.

"Eugene," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Eugene Fitzherbert. Cute huh? Flynn Rider is just a pen name. You know, a fake name. I just use it for writing or introducing myself. It just kinda sounds better than Eugene, you know?"

"I like it," Rapunzel admitted, smiling slightly.

"Sure you do," he drawled sarcastically.

"No really! Is it okay if I call you Eugene instead of Flynn?"

"Um... Sure? I mean if you want to," he shrugged.

"Okay... _Eugene_," she giggled.

"Hey, I changed it because I didn't like getting teased. So don't you start, _Rapunzel_." She frowned at him but nodded.

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

"No problem," he said simply. Their spot on the wheel had lowered considerably and they were nearly to the ground. He bumped his shoulder up slightly and Rapunzel raised her head.

"Ride's almost over kiddo."

"Oh," Rapunzel said disappointed. She moved away and stared at Eugene's face, trying to read his expression. She wasn't very good at it, seeing as she had grown up with someone whose moods solely consisted of anger and disdain. Reaching the bottom, she stood up carefully, and with a guiding hand, Eugene helped her to the ground. Or was he Flynn? Rapunzel couldn't say. Flynn was sarcastic and rude and impatient. Eugene was kind and thoughtful and chivalrous. Flynn was charming and handsome. Eugene was... Okay, so he was charming and handsome too. Overall Rapunzel just felt confused.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Rapunzel snorted.

"Do you think I _want_ to go?" she replied sarcastically. Sarcasm was a little something she had picked up from him. He flashed a grin in appreciation and began to walk towards the exit, much to Rapunzel's obvious disappointment. But it was nearly eight and she didn't want to risk missing Mother's eight-thirty phone call. Eugene set a heavy hand on her shoulder, carefully guiding her through the crowd of people.

Finally making their way to the parking structure, Eugene breathed a small sigh of relief. While he wasn't spooked by elevators any longer, crowds were still a bit disconcerting. After a quiet tram ride, the two slipped into Eugene's beat-up old car. Rapunzel squeaked as the time glowed on the dashboard.

"Eugene, there's only fifteen minutes till Mother calls!"

"Calm down, Blondie. You haven't seen me _really_ drive yet," he replied, putting the car into gear. Before Rapunzel knew it, they were speeding out if the building faster than legally allowed. She didn't care though. Over the day she had discovered a new love for speed. Within minutes they were out in the streets of Anaheim. Rapunzel blinked in the brilliant lights and basked in the danger of the traffic of nearby reckless cars. He was too busy thinking about how natural it sounded when she called him Eugene. Usually when people used his real name it just sounded unpleasant. The two-mile journey took only a few minutes and Rapunzel sighed in relief as they pulled up to her home. To Eugene's chagrin, his previous parking space had been filled in his absence.

"Go ahead without me. I gotta park the car. I'll catch up to you in a few minutes," he said. Rapunzel frowned at him.

"I'm not leaving, trust me. Why would I suffer through this whole ordeal only to leave without my satchel?" he asked, winking at her. Rapunzel smiled and jumped out of the car. Eugene watched as she raced up to the apartment, only leaving once he saw that she was safely inside.

He drove around a bit, searching for a vacant spot, finally finding one a short block away. He listened to the car hum as he pulled into the spot, finally coming to an abrupt stop as he killed the power. He sat it momentary silence, trying to gather his thoughts together. He couldn't fathom why he had told Rapunzel his real name. The only other people that knew it were employers and they even preferred to call him Flynn. He stepped out of the car into the cool night. Peering up at the apartment building he saw the lights of the fifteenth floor glowing through the window. He wondered how many people Rapunzel had watched passing by the building. Maybe she'd seen him staking out the building for the past few weeks.

Flynn made his way down the sidewalk, thankful that the building was unguarded. He stepped into the lobby and actually looked around for the first time. Rapunzel had gone on and on about it earlier, impressed with everything in it, from the sparkling floors to the well-trimmed ferns in the corners of the room. It _was_ a nice room. The kid really appreciated the little things in life, didn't she? The elevator doors opened silently for him and he waltzed in, unshaken. He leaned back against the railing calmly as the machine climbed to the top. Stepping out, he noticed for the first time that he couldn't hear a damn thing behind the walls. It was a few minutes after 8:30 and Rapunzel assured him that her mother was pertinent when it came to her nightly calls. He figured that the walls must be soundproof to further hide Gothel's dirty little secret. He opened the door quietly and heard the soft murmur of Rapunzel's voice in the kitchen.

"I know, Mother. I'm sorry, I don't know why I forgot. I wasn't thinking," Rapunzel stuttered. Eugene listened closely, easily hearing the hurt in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Mother. Please don't be mad at me. I know I made a dumb mistake," she chided herself. Eugene followed her voice to the kitchen and leaned around the corner to peek in. Rapunzel sat on a kitchen counter, her demon cat resting in her lap, its eyes staring up at her. One hand held the cordless phone to her ear, the other hand was petting Pascal. Eugene wondered how someone so puny could make it up to the counter until he spied a nearby step-stool, likely used for reaching high cabinets.

"I love you too, Mother. Have a safe journey home." She pressed a button on the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around the spacious kitchen just as Eugene hid behind the wall.

"Didn't your mother teach you how rude it is to eavesdrop?" she called Eugene walked into the kitchen with a sheepish grin.

"Nope," he admitted. Rapunzel gave him a small smile back, but he could see the faint red in her shiny eyes. He hated when girls cried. It always made him feel guilty. Gently, Rapunzel moved Pascal to the counter next to her and stepped down to the cool tile.

"So what was all that about?" Eugene asked as Rapunzel walked over to the towering chrome fridge.

"I forgot to pack Mother's favorite perfume for her trip. It was a dumb mistake," Rapunzel said guiltily, pulling out various vegetables from the fridge.

"Sounded like she blew up on you," Eugene commented casually, leaning against the counter. To his surprise, the cat sidled up to him and rubbed against his arm. Rapunzel shot Eugene a reproachful look.

"I made a mistake. I _deserved_ to be yelled at." She began pulling down cans from the pantry.

"Alright, alright. I mean, I don't see what the big deal is or why _you_ have to pack her bags in the first place, but whatever. It's not my business," he shrugged as Rapunzel slammed jars of tomato sauce on the counter. He scooped Pascal into his arms, scratching behind his ears. The cat looked pleased, no longer scornful of the strange man.

"Exactly. None of your business," she snapped, digging through a spice rack. Eugene looked around awkwardly, hands still occupied with the cat.

"So, uh... What are you doing there?" he asked.

"Dinner. Remember?"

"Oh, uh you don't have to if you don't want-"

"No, I _do_ want to. Thanks though," she said softly, placing things down lightly, as opposed to her earlier habit of slamming them.

"So did your mom give you any good news at least?" Eugene asked carefully, not wanting to make her angry again.

"Actually, yes. She's going to some dinner party tomorrow night and can't call. So we don't have a curfew," she smiled, significantly happier. Eugene knew he should be disappointed that he had to spend more time with her but her smile made him momentarily forget his satchel. Only for a second. He watched as her lithe hands worked gracefully through some ground beef, carefully blending in various spices.

"I hope you like spaghetti," she said, peeking up to look at him.

"I do actually. Need any help?" Rapunzel paused. Mother never offered to help. She nodded and pointed to some vegetables on the other side of the kitchen.

"You can chop those up. Bite-sized. We're going to sauté them then put them in the sauce." Eugene dropped the cat down lightly and washed his hands, then moved over to the cutting board and began working. Rapunzel couldn't help but notice how expertly he chopped the vegetables, finishing his work long before she usually did.

"Oh, uh, toss those in that pan over there for me, please," Rapunzel instructed, but was surprised to see that Eugene not only did what she asked, but also seemed to know how much olive oil to put in the pan and what temperature to set it to. He moved over to Rapunzel and nudged her with an arm.

"Scoot over," he ordered, rolling up his sleeves. She did so and smiled as he helped her roll the meatballs, placing each one carefully on a baking pan. Despite their hands being covered in goop, Rapunzel still felt a little shock when they touched. Within minutes, the two had a few dozen meatballs, which Rapunzel placed carefully in the oven. The two washed off their hands before Rapunzel spoke up again.

"Eugene? Can you open these cans for me?"

"Yes ma'am," he saluted as she filled a pot with water, setting it to boil. Soon, their semi-homemade marinara sauce was simmering and the spaghetti noodles were boiling. The two leaned against the counter together and admired their handiwork.

"So... Where'd you learn to cook?" Eugene asked, his barely grazing hers.

"I could ask you the same thing," she giggled.

"Just something I picked up as I was growing up. You?"

"The best chefs in the world taught me," she admitted, gesturing to the DVDs in the living room. Eugene stared at the enormous stack of discs through the doorway of the kitchen. He looked back at the girl next to him, finding it remarkable how normal she was, at least for the most part.

"You're really something, Rapunzel," he accidentally said out loud. She beamed up at him.

"Really?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, you're a cool girl," he said dismissively, turning his head back towards the oven. Compliments were usually a breeze for him, but those were all fake ones. Compliments to Rapunzel were real. They felt weird in his mouth. Right on time to break the awkwardness was oven timer, announcing that the meatballs were done. Rapunzel flashed him a smile and went to open the oven door. Carefully, she removed the baking pan, setting it gently on the counter.

"Done!" she chimed, proudly gazing over their handiwork. Eugene nodded his approval and busied himself with stirring the warm sauce and straining the pasta. Rapunzel grabbed a load of bread and a heavy serrated knife.

"Careful," Eugene warned, setting plates out that he had found in a cupboard.

"Eugene, I'll be fin- owww!" The knife clattered on the counter and Eugene rushed over to see Rapunzel clutching her hand. A deep gash formed down the center of her palm, bleeding through her clenched fingers.

"Shit shit shit, are you okay?!" he yelled, grabbing her hand and looking it over, "You need gauze and antiseptic and a bandage or something... shit, Blondie, you really messed yourself up here. Hold on, I'll go grab some stuff, stay right here!" He hurried out of the kitchen towards the bathroom. He rifled through the pristine cupboards, searching for a first aid kit or anything he could use. Nothing. Geez, did these people just not get hurt?! He grabbed a washcloth and rushed back to the kitchen.

"Rapunzel I couldn't find any first aid kits but at least we can stop the bleeding with-" He froze as the girl came into view. Her hand was entangled in her thick braid, and she was singing something softly. Staunching the bleeding with her hair. Eugene couldn't decide if that was brilliant or creepy. He took a few cautious steps toward her.

"See, it's okay Eugene. I just had to heal myself, I'm fine," she smiled, holding up her hand. It was perfect, just as it had been one minute ago. He grabbed her other hand, making sure that he hasn't just seen the wrong one. Nope. That one was perfect too.

"Rapunzel? What uh... What's going on here?"

"I told you earlier, didn't I? Magic hair that heals when I sing."

"But... You were joking, weren't you?"

"Of course not Eugene. I knew you wouldn't believe me... Here, I'll show you." She stared intently at his face, grabbing it one hand and turning it back and forth. Eugene stood with a confused expression on his face, silently planning his escape. Finally Rapunzel found what she was looking for; a new bruise forming on the right side of his forehead from where she had hit him earlier. It was starting to turn a rather violent shade of purple and Rapunzel was surprised she hadn't noticed it sooner. She touched it lightly and noticed his slight wince at the soft spot. She grabbed the end of her braid and pressed it next to Eugene's head. Closing her eyes, she began to sing.

"Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine..." Eugene watched in astonishment as the braid slowly lit up from her roots to the tip. He was even more surprised at the melodic sound of her voice.

"Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine... What once was mine..." She slowly drew her braid away from his face and Eugene noticed how clear his head felt. Untroubled, and really relaxed. She pointed at a mirror in the next room and gently shoved him towards it. He looked at his forehead and raised his eyebrows. His skin looked perfect, like the whole hair dryer incident never happened. He touched it carefully, noticing there wasn't a bump anymore. He twirled around to see Rapunzel's sweet smile. She gave him a little wave and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Are you hungry?" she asked politely, gesturing toward the kitchen. Eugene nodded, unsure of any other way to react. She walked towards the kitchen, and with one last look in the mirror, he followed her wordlessly.

* * *

"So again... That's why my hair is so long," Rapunzel sighed, tired of explaining.

"And you can't leave the apartment because someone might use your hair for their own good?"

"Ah, so you _can_ listen."

"Very funny. But really, I'm sorry I didn't believe you sooner. I just thought you were..."

"Crazy?" she frowned, finishing his sentence.

"Um... Yeah. I'm not even gonna lie to you this time, I thought you were crazy," he winced. Rapunzel shrugged it off.

"It's okay. Stuff like this doesn't happen every day. I can't be too mad at you," she said graciously. She looked down at her empty plate. This time it was Eugene that had three times more to eat than she did, insisting that it was the best thing he'd eaten in months.

"So," he said, pointing at her with his fork, "Any idea how you got magic hair in the first place?"

"Nope," Rapunzel said, shaking her head.

"Maybe it was something from your Dad's side of the family," he speculated. Rapunzel scrunched up her face.

"Maybe. But I'm not really sure. I don't know much about my father. Mother doesn't like me asking about him. She says he was evil like all men." Eugene swallowed heavily, nearly choking.

"Evil?" he coughed.

"Yeah. But don't worry, I think you're okay."

"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically, setting his fork down. Rapunzel took away his plate, setting it in the dishwasher. The rest of the kitchen looked absolutely pristine.

"You're really good at cleaning," he complimented, only realizing afterwards how sexist it sounded. Fortunately Rapunzel didn't seem to notice.

"Nah, not really. Mother always finds something that I missed." Eugene looked around and shrugged.

"It all looks fine to me."

"Well, thank you. So, um, I'm going to go take a shower, if you want to set up your stuff in the guest room while I'm busy."

"My what?"

"Your stuff. Aren't you staying the night?"

"I just figured I'd sleep in my car or something."

"Oh my gosh, no! Of course not! Stay here. It's just one night and you'll be much more comfortable."

"Uh, okay, sure. If you insist. Thanks, kid." He walked over to the couch and sat down casually.

"I'll be back in about twenty minutes, okay?" Rapunzel said, picking up Pascal. Eugene nodded and she hurried back to her room. He stretched out across the couch, eyeing the stack of DVDs by the large flatscreen. It was pretty impressive. He skimmed some of the titles, and found that most of them were indeed cooking shows. Poor thing. Life may not have been fun at the orphanage but at least he got to grow up with real kid's movies. A sudden idea came to him and he hopped off the couch in search of his car keys.

Snatching a twenty from Rapunzel's purse (she'd never notice it missing) Eugene snuck out the door, only after leaving a short note describing he'd be back soon. He jogged to his car and revved up the engine. He hated traffic but this would be worth it. A couple minute later he arrived at his destination.

A chiming bell announced his arrival as he walked into the movie rental store. Making a beeline for the children's section, Eugene set his eyes on the vast selection of Disney movies.

_Let's see... Something old, classic. Ah here. Blondie likes animals, right? Eh, probably. Okay and maybe something with people in it… Oh here we go. My personal favorite. And now... Something with a princess in it. Girls like princesses, right? Okay, I think we're good. Three movies should be plenty._

Eugene made his way to the check-out counter, where a bored looking brunette leaned against the counter. She flashed a big grin as Eugene walked up and he prepared for the flirtatious assault.

"Hi there!" she smiled, as he slid the movies over the counter. She gave them a curious look, but scanned them.

"Disney fan, huh?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, no. They're for my... Little sister," he lied. It was half true. Rapunzel was pretty tiny. The girl batted her eyelashes at him. She was cute, with thick eyeliner lining her hazel eyes and cheeks flushed pink. Eugene smiled back and turned on the Flynn Rider charm.

"So how come you're stuck here tonight and not out on the town?" he asked, leaning towards her with an arm placed casually on the counter.

"A girl's gotta make a living somehow, right?"

"A pretty girl like you? You could probably be making a lot more money than they offer here."

"I don't suppose you're going to offer me a job, are you?"

"Ah, nevermind," he said quickly, as the girl flashed him a grin, "So what'll my total be?"

"Well, were offering a very special deal on cute guys tonight. It's the 'My boss isn't in tonight and the back room is empty' deal."

"Oh. _Oh_."

"Yeah. What do you say?" she said in a sultry voice. Suddenly Eugene felt torn. On one hand, he shouldn't leave Rapunzel alone for too long. On the other hand it had been a while since he'd gotten any. Like two weeks. Surely that was a new record for him. But the thought of Rapunzel's sad face as she sat on the couch alone, wondering where he was, just killed him.

"Um, maybe some other time?" he stuttered, digging through his pockets for the twenty. The girl frowned at him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, obviously offended.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. It's not that you're not pretty. You're beautiful, really! And any other night I'd be up for it. But tonight's been sort of weird and I really should get back and-"

"I get it." She held out her hand and Eugene deposited the twenty in it. He cursed himself inwardly as he stared at the girls quick hands as she gathered his change.

"Really, I am sorry," he tried apologizing one last time as she handed over his change and bag of movies.

"Whatever." With a sigh, Eugene walked out the door, feeling her angry glare on his back. _Ugh._ _Women._ He was actually thankful to walk back into Rapunzel's apartment and be in the company of someone sane. He had only been gone for fifteen minutes, so he wasn't surprised to hear the shower still running. He set down the DVDs and after readjusting the duffel bag on his shoulder that he had brought up as well, he made his way down the hall, searching for this alleged guest room. He found it one door past Rapunzel's room and peeked in. It looked like no one ever used it, which wouldn't come as a surprise to him. Why would Gothel let anyone near her precious fountain of youth? He set down his bag and investigated the room. It looked like Rapunzel had already turned down the sheets for him and he chuckled slightly to see a small piece of wrapped chocolate waiting on his pillow. He leaned out the doorway into the hallway, peering down each side. It was surprising how obnoxiously big the apartment was, despite how small it looked from the outside. The sudden sound of a door opening shocked him so much he lost his balance and toppled face first to the ground. He groaned and thanked God no one saw that. And that was when he heard giggling.

"Eugene, are you okay?" Rapunzel asked, attempting to hold in her laughter. Eugene looked up and saw her standing a few feet away, wrapped in a pink bathrobe, hair now loosened and trailing behind her.

"I'm fine, just fine. Sometimes I like to lie down on the ground in uncomfortable positions outside the door to my blackmailer's guest room."

"Ah okay. Well, just as long as you're enjoying yourself." She walked into her room, and Eugene pulled himself off of the ground. She closed her door gently and Eugene assumed she was in there getting dressed. He leaned against the wall next to her room.

"So hey, I got you something," he called.

"I thought I heard you leaving earlier. What'd you get me?"

"It's a surprise."

"Then why'd you tell me about it, silly?"

"Uh, actually I don't know," he admitted.

"Well, when do I get this surprise?"

"Meet me in the living room when you're done in there. And please for the love of all that is holy, don't take half an hour getting all prettied up. It's really- oh." Rapunzel emerged from her room, dressed in a long, thin nightgown, dyed a soft shade of purple. Eugene averted his eyes from where they'd normally be planted if a girl approached him in a nightgown and instead looked at her face. She looked clean and happy and relaxed.

"Stop making me wait," she teased, punching him lightly on the arm. He laughed and walked with her to the living room. He picked up the bag of movies and started taking them out.

"Now, these are only on rental, which means we have to turn them back in tomorrow, okay? But I thought maybe you'd wanna watch something new. Something that doesn't have to do with cooking or math or science. Something purely for entertainment." He held out the movies to her and Rapunzel took them carefully and turned them back and forth, reading each side. Eugene watched as she poured over them and he felt a bit of pride for coming up with such a clever idea. She held one out to him.

"What's this one?" she asked. Eugene took it from her and smiled.

"Good choice Blondie. This was my favorites growing up. Aladdin. It's about this guy who grows up totally poor and falls in love with a princess and finds a genie who makes him into a prince." Rapunzel looked utterly confused.

"Eugene what's a genie?"

"A magical being that grants wishes? You know it's easier to just show you." He popped in the DVD and switched on the TV. Rapunzel sat on the giant sofa, her long hair in swirls all over the couch. Eugene grabbed the remote and sat on the opposite side of her, noting that there were no other seats in the room. Blonde strands draped over his side of the couch but he ignored them. His day had been so strange, it would take a lot to faze him now.

Rapunzel focused her attention completely on screen as trailers for other movies popped up. She remarked about each one looking fascinating and asked Eugene if he'd brought those too. Her disappointment was obvious when he admitted that he hadn't. But it was short-lived as the actual movie started. Eugene settled deeper into the couch, getting comfortable. He hadn't seen this movie in… had it really been five years? Probably more. He picked up a random strand of hair and played with it absentmindedly as the movie played. Rapunzel didn't notice, her eyes glued to the screen.

"Hey, Eugene! He's kinda like you. He's a thief too." Eugene frowned.

"Ex-thief, Blondie. Besides Aladdin only steals to eat."

"He reminds me of you. Everyone thinks he's bad, but he's not."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Rapunzel didn't realize how much those words meant to him. Eugene had always looked up to Aladdin when he was a kid. He remembered growing up at the orphanage, watching a movie every day after lunchtime. This was always his favorite. He thought about how the rest of the boys would gag and make noises when the romantic parts came up, but Eugene secretly liked those the most. Aladdin didn't have a family and he still got the girl and had a happy life. Maybe there was hope for Eugene too.

The two watched the movie in relative silence except for Rapunzel's occasional question about something she didn't understand or her giggling at something funny. She slowly switched positions on the couch, curling up in a small ball next to Eugene. Pascal curled up next to her, sleeping as usual. But at least it had quit hissing at Eugene. He had a strange urge to pull Rapunzel's head into his lap so she could rest her head more comfortably but he resisted it and got her a pillow instead. Glancing at the shivering girl, he pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her as well. She relaxed and gave a small sigh.

"Thank you. But won't you be cold Eugene?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Don't worry. Watch the movie, kid. It's almost over." Rapunzel did so, gasping at the plot twists and flinching at the scarier bits. It was almost comical how dramatic her reactions were. She cheered at the finale and clapped her hands a few times.

"Oh, Eugene! How am I supposed to go to bed now? I'm too excited!" Eugene gave her a rueful grin but held up another DVD. She leapt up and replaced the discs quickly. He wasn't that tired anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.

"What's this one about? Who's Bambi?"

"It's about animals. I think you'll like it. It's cute." Rapunzel nodded and returned to her spot on the couch, this time setting her pillow on Eugene's lap and resting her head. She looked up at him.

"Is this okay? I'm sorry, but you're more comfortable to lie on than the flat couch." Eugene shrugged and leaned against the armrest.

"Yeah, sure Blondie. I don't mind," he said, mustering up as much nonchalance as he could. Rapunzel smiled and settled deeper into the pillow. He tried to contain his thoughts, insisting that Rapunzel was too innocent to see anything wrong with this, so neither should he. He concentrated on the movie and not her soft even breathing. Pretty soon the cat came wandering into his lap as well, resting near Rapunzel's head. Eugene sighed. _Great. Another thing I can add to my list of good traits. Flynn Rider: handsome, charming, intelligent, comfortable lap..._

"Eugene?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you from?" Rapunzel's attention had shifted from the frolicking animals on screen to the face of almost-stranger who held her head in his lap. He looked confused but for once answered straight instead of diverting her attention to something else.

"I'm from here. Anaheim I mean. I grew up here."

"Do you get to visit your parents much?"

"I would love to visit them, Blondie. Unfortunately I have no idea who they are. I grew up in an orphanage on the outskirts of town."

"I'm sorry Eugene, but what's an orphanage?"

"A place where kids that don't have parents live. Either their parents died and they had nowhere else to go or they were abandoned like me."

"I'm so sorry Eugene... I didn't mean to pry."

"Don't worry about it, Rapunzel. I got over it a while ago. Besides, I'm doing pretty well on my own, I'd say," he smiled. Rapunzel focused her attention back on the movie. Eugene was surprised about how easy it came to him to tell the truth. He usually lied to people with ease whereas the truth was nearly impossible to get out of him. Around Rapunzel, it was practically the opposite. He felt shitty when he lied to her and telling her the truth was remarkably easy. He stared at her face as she watched the movie, the light from the screen bouncing off her face. She had a cute little triangle nose and big baby lips. Her enormous eyes were the color of spring grass, perfectly offsetting the freckles on her nose. Suddenly a small tear ran down her cheek and Eugene tore his eyes from her face to look at the screen, realizing that they had reached a death scene. Whoops. Maybe he didn't think the movie thing all the way through. Eugene set a comforting hand on Rapunzel's head, brushing her hair from her face, rough fingers trailing along her cheek.

"It's okay, Punzie," he whispered. The nickname came easy to him and Rapunzel liked the sound of it. She calmed down and watched as the movie took a happier turn. Eugene sighed. This girl was an emotional roller coaster. To be fair, she had had a pretty rough life and today was a pretty dramatic turning point in it.

The two sat in silence again for a little while, and Eugene became concerned when the happy ending didn't elicit a cheer from the girl. He shifted slightly and saw that her bright eyes were shut and a peaceful expression overtook her face. Eugene nudged Pascal off his lap and carefully inched his way out from underneath Rapunzel and her pillow. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. He stood in front of her tiny curled up body, trying to come up with a solution. Her room wasn't too far away and he wasn't the kind of jerk to wake her up and make her walk there.

Eugene gathered up his strength and carried Rapunzel off to her room. He tried not to think about how he was carrying her bridal style to an enormous canopy bed. _Nope. Not going to think about that._ He set her down carefully and shifted the various blankets around her in an attempt to make her warm and comfortable. Satisfied at last, he turned to leave the room.

"G'night, Eugene," Rapunzel murmured sleepily, turning slightly in her bed.

"Good night, Rapunzel," he whispered, closing the door after making sure Pascal had gotten in. Eugene walked to his room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He sighed deeply, finally alone and aware of just how exhausted he was. He stripped down to his black boxers, leaving a pile of clothes on the floor. He slipped under the covers, thankful for the soft bed. He'd been staking out Gothel's place so much lately that he only made it home a few nights a week. Even then, his own bed wasn't even this comfortable. He settled deeper into the sheets and began to drift off to sleep. For the first time all day, his thoughts didn't dwell on his satchel or his big story or all the money that came with this whole endeavor. His sleepy thoughts could only concentrate on the sweet girl that slept only a room away.

* * *

A/N: So I wrote this entire chapter on the notes section of my phone. I'd scribble it down in class and then later copy it down onto my iPhone and finally email it to myself. So if you notice any weird spelling or grammar errors, feel free to let me know. I try to proofread my chapter before I post them though. So I really enjoyed writing this one and I've already gotten started on the next one. The idea of Eugene and Rapunzel cooking together just seemed like a cute little thing for them to do. Oh, also! I did a little research and found out that Disneyland fireworks are pretty much only on the weekends. So I felt sorta dumb for not researching it in the first place. Then I convinced myself that this is MY story and I make the rules. So please don't take every detail in the story seriously and complain if I mess some little thing up. So far no one has done that, but I'm really nervous that someone will. Okay, anyway, thank you for reading, please feel free to review with your comments and complaints and whatnot.


	6. Chapter 5

Eugene awoke to the face of a brown cat, staring at him intently, perched on his chest. The tired man groaned and sat up straight, rumpling up the fluffy pillows and blankets further, collecting his thoughts. He glanced around the bright room, sunlight seeping through the curtained window. He recalled the events of the previous day and wondered what sorts of trouble he and Rapunzel would be getting into today. The clock on the wall read 9:06 and Eugene felt thankful that she had let him sleep in. He looked down at the cat on his bed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm guessing you're my wake-up call?" he joked. Pascal flicked his tail at the man, before hopping down to go scratch at the door.

"Alright, alright. Hold on," Eugene said, suddenly aware that he was still in just his underwear. He pulled on some clean jeans from his bag, fumbling with the belt as Pascal mewed softly. T-shirt still in hand, Eugene opened the door to let out the cat, unexpectedly coming face to face with his blonde-haired captor. She was wearing her jeans again and a light pink tank top, her grey sweater layered over. Eugene couldn't be sure but it looked like she had a little bit of makeup on too.

"Whoa! Good morning Blondie!"

"Good morning, Eugene! How did you- oh! I'm sorry!" she apologized covering her eyes with a hand.

"What?"

"Your umm... Your chest... Mother says naked chests are bad," she stammered, her eyes still covered.

"Not necessarily bad, Blondie. Not really appropriate to be out in public without a shirt on, but inside it's okay. At least for guys anyway," he explained. He carefully removed the hand from her face. She gave a hesitant peek.

"See? It's okay," he laughed. Rapunzel giggled nervously and reached out to put a hand on his chest, staring at the differences between his body and hers. He had a small tuft of hair growing between his pectorals, something she didn't have. She gazed over his muscles, fascinated by his structure compared to hers. Eugene finally cleared his throat. Rapunzel jumped back, cheeks flushed red. It felt a bit odd to be examined like a science experiment.

"S-s-sorry," she stammered.

"It's okay. It's not like you've seen a topless guy before, I get why you'd be so awestruck, especially when you have such a perfect subject," he smirked, pulling on a dark blue t-shirt, "So anyway, how long have you been waiting outside my door?"

"Like, two... Three... Ten minutes or so... You weren't waking up, so I sent in Pascal," she muttered. Then with a quick smile she picked up a plate waiting on an end table outside the door. "I made muffins!" Eugene stared at the vast assortment of treats on the platter and plucked one up. He looked at her eager grin and took a bite.

"Not bad, Punzie. Oh, and happy birthday, by the way," he added nonchalantly.

"You remembered!" she gasped, jumping up and down.

"Hey, calm down. You're gonna lose your pastries. And yes, I remembered. That's why I'm in this little situation isn't it? Anyway, ready for a big day?"

"Duh! I've been waiting eighteen years for this, Eugene. _Eighteen years_. Do you know how long that is? Really really _really_ long!" Eugene laughed at her enthusiasm and grabbed another muffin from the plate, quickly devouring it as well.

"Well, give me a couple minutes to get cleaned up and we can get out of here. The park doesn't open for another hour or so, but it doesn't hurt to be early."

"Okay!" Rapunzel nodded, "But before we go, do you think you can braid my hair again?"

"Yeah, of course. Just give me five minutes," he said, dropping his empty muffin liners on her tray. He stepped into the bathroom and Rapunzel made her way to the kitchen. She set down her muffins and walked to the living room. She could barely contain her excitement, thinking about the fireworks. She had already shown Pascal the postcard picture of them and explained to him everything that happened the day before. She told him about how nice Flynn turned out to be, and how he wasn't even Flynn in the end, but Eugene. He was much kinder now than he was when they'd first met. To be fair however, she did knock him out with a hair dryer and tie him to a chair and then blackmail him. So considering all that, he'd been nicer than she deserved really. She was almost looking forward to giving him back his satchel just to see how happy he'd be. But she was devastated knowing he had to go soon. She had never learned so much in a single day than she did the day before! And later he was going to go back into the world and she'd stay up in her tower under lock and key, forever singing to keep Mother beautiful.

She knew how much her powers helped her Mother. She wasn't dumb. They kept her young and beautiful so she could work and without her job, they wouldn't be able to live. But over the past twenty-four hours she started to see just how manipulative her mother was being. Surely there were other jobs she could do, jobs that didn't require looking young and perfect? Not that Rapunzel would ever tell her mother these things. Sometimes she liked to imagine doing so, talking to one of her sewing mannequins and pretending it was her beautiful mother. Even in these fake conversations, Mother came out on top. But Rapunzel had her first taste of the outside world and she was dying for more. She sat for a few minutes, until Eugene's heavy footsteps broke her musings.

"Alright Blondie, let's get that mess of hair under control," he joked, pulling out the same hairband they had used the previous day. Rapunzel smiled back at him and kneeled on the ground, her hair spread out behind her. Eugene began separating the strands again, feeling significantly less weird about it than he had yesterday.

"So how long have you been up, kid?"

"Oh, since... Six thirty? That's about the normal time I get up."

"Damn. You're awfully chipper for someone with seven hours of sleep."

"Well, it IS my birthday."

"Good point. So other than muffin making, what have you been up to?"

"I watched the other movie you brought. Cinderella."

"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that. We're gonna have to turn those back in today. You liked it?"

"Yeah, I did. I'm glad they all have happy endings."

"Me too, Blondie. You know, Cinderella kinda reminds me of a girl I know."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup. Locked up at home all day. Constantly staring out the window to a castle she doesn't think she'll ever get to. Forced to do housework while her mother-"

"_Step_-mother."

"Excuse me, while her _step_-mother lives in luxury. Also they're both blondes. Not that that's specifically important. Sound familiar?"

"You're really annoying, Flynn."

"Ouch, Rapunzel. That hurt. I thought we were on a first name basis here."

"Well, when you're a jerk, you're Flynn. When you're nice you can be Eugene again."

"You look really pretty today," he tried complimenting.

"Gee, thanks, Flynn."

"Hey, that was a nice thing to say, wasn't it?"

"But you don't mean it. Flynn Rider says stuff to make things better for himself. You're only making me feel good about myself so you can get something out of it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know..." she muttered.

"Well there's your answer. I was complimenting you because you _should _feel good about yourself. You DO look pretty today. That's not Flynn talking. It's Eugene," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed. He tied the braid tightly together, being careful not to pull it too hard. He stood up and circled around Rapunzel, who refused to look at him. He held out a hand, and she reluctantly took it.

"Eugene, why do you hate my mother so much?" she asked as he pulled her up. He thought about it a moment as Rapunzel stared anxiously up into his eyes.

"If it makes a difference, I didn't hate her before I met you. I just thought she was another regular stuck-up celebrity. But then I saw how she treats you and talks to you. It makes me mad, to be quite honest. In the one day I've spent with you, you haven't done a single thing worth yelling about. So, yeah, I don't like your Mother. But if you want me to, I'll lay off the criticism."

Rapunzel looked astonished at his speech, surprised that he saw the mistreatment too. She had always just assumed that she was overreacting and that all mothers treated their daughters like this. She suddenly wrapped her arms around Eugene's waist and closed her eyes tightly. He hesitated, but hugged her back, gently.

"You're right Eugene. She's not always very nice," Rapunzel whispered, "But she's the only mother I've got, and there's nowhere else I can go. That's why today is so important to me. This is something that's all mine, something that Mother can't take away from me. This is MY day. For one day in my life I get to have total control. That's all I want, Eugene." He wrapped an arm around her back, the other hand stroking her hair.

"Okay then, Punzie. Let's make today special," he said in a reassuring voice. She pulled away slightly to see a warm smile on his face. Eugene felt slightly annoyed with what a big softie he was becoming, but he was starting to dislike the guilty feeling in his stomach whenever he said or did something mean to Rapunzel.

"So hey, I had an idea," he said, attempting to change the subject.

"Yeah?"

"What if I took pictures of today? You could hide them in a book or something. Then you could always remember." Rapunzel looked surprised, but also excited at the prospect of being able to look back whenever she wanted to.

"Okay! I think I can hide them pretty well. How do you take pictures?"

"Remember my camera? From my bag? The heavy black thing?"

"Yeah, I remember. You take pictures with it?"

"Yup, that's what it's for. If you give me that back I can take pictures for you and we can get them developed tonight." Rapunzel looked suspicious. Eugene sighed and dealt with her skepticism. "Look. I'll go wait outside the door. You can go grab the camera and I won't know where you're hiding my bag. Okay?"

"Okay," Rapunzel agreed. Eugene walked out the door, closing it tightly. He leaned against a wall and waited for Rapunzel. It kinda felt good, doing something nice for her. Pictures would help her remember, and if she was going to be stuck up in that apartment her whole life, she may as well be able to look back on happy memories.

The door suddenly burst open and Rapunzel appeared. She held out his camera by the strap as it dangled precariously.

"Hey! Careful with that!" Eugene yelped, snatching the camera away. It was the most expensive thing he owned, and quite a piece of equipment. If this thing broke, he'd have to take his paparazzi shots with some cheap digital camera, and he couldn't imagine stooping so low.

"Sorry, Eugene..." Rapunzel apologized, her eyes planted on the ground. Eugene sighed.

"It's okay, Blondie. No harm done." He hung the camera around his neck and smiled at the familiar weight. Rapunzel sidled up to him and touched the camera careful as it rested on his chest.

"How does it work?"

"Easy," he said, pulling the camera up and taking off the lens cap. He snapped a quick candid picture of Rapunzel and waited as the preview showed up on the digital screen. She had a surprised face at the flash of the camera, her eyes larger than normal. He chuckled a bit, but Rapunzel just cocked her head and planted her hands on her hips.

"So when do I get the actual picture?" she asked.

"Well, normally I'd prefer to get these professional developed, but because we're strapped for time we can just get these printed out at a drugstore or something. Lower quality, but it's fast and cheap." Rapunzel nodded her approval and Eugene wondered how much of his sentence she had actually understood. She peeked over Eugene's shoulder to catch a better glimpse at the camera screen.

"You wouldn't possibly be thinking of_ keeping_ some of these pictures for your story, would you?" she asked, giving him a threatening look.

"What? No! Geez, Rapunzel, give a guy some credit here. You can stay up here as your mom's dirty little secret if that's what you want." She eyed him suspiciously but nodded slowly.

"Okay. Because if I see or hear about some article about me... You're in huge trouble. Got it?"

"I got it," Eugene agreed, resisting the urge to argue that she probably wouldn't hear about the news anyway since she was trapped up here all the time. But he bit his tongue and was rewarded with a bright smile.

"Well then, shall we get going?" she asked in her normal cheerful tone.

"Yeah, sure, kid. Ready when you are." He was dreading today and he wasn't sure why. He _should_ want to avoid today because it meant another day babysitting this lunatic who was hiding his satchel. But that wasn't why he was upset. He was dreading today for some other reason, something deeper. He just couldn't put a finger on it. There she was, pressing the button outside the double elevator doors, shuffling from side to side. She had this big goofy grin on her face that Eugene had grown a bit fond of. The elevator doors slid open and the pair stepped in. Rapunzel held back the urge to scream. It was finally happening. Up until today, yesterday had been the best day of her life. She was _so_ ready to change that.

* * *

Eugene was almost sick of standing in lines. He was thankful that Rapunzel had dragged him here midweek, instead of on a Saturday. Weekends were _really_ packed. It was a quarter till ten, and the two stood near the front of the line to get into the park. Rapunzel was chatting with a nearby family, telling them how excited she was and how much she had looked forward to the day.

"And then Eugene said he wasn't scared of elevators anymore and I had cured him!" she said, prideful of herself. Meanwhile, Eugene stared at a fascinating smudge of dirt on his shoes, avoiding the glances of nearby people. Rapunzel waved her goodbye to the family.

"Everyone here is just so nice!" she gushed, turning back to Eugene. He gave her a pained grin as a nearby clock struck ten till the hour.

"So what are we doing first in the park?" he asked her.

"Well, you're supposed to be my expert guide. What are we supposed to do?"

"Well, uh, some of the more popular rides can get pretty crowded. I guess we can head straight towards one of those so we can get it over with and not have to wait in line two hours."

"Sounds good!" Rapunzel chirped, "Are we going to have to wait two hours for all the other rides?"

"Nah, probably not. There's this system thing... I don't really know how to describe it. Don't worry. I'll make sure you get on every ride that catches your eye," he promised.

"Thank you, Eugene. Is there anything else I should know?"

"I'm not really sure. I figure we'll probably just cross that bridge when we come to it. Oh, remember how yesterday the other park was sort of broken up into different themes?"

"Yeah?"

"They do that here too. You'll see. Honestly I don't want to say much more about it and ruin the experience for you." Rapunzel nodded and nudged him with an arm.

"Thanks, Eugene. You know, you're not so bad."

"You're not horrible yourself, Blondie."

After what seemed like a thousand years, the doors finally began to open and the lines moved by. Eugene ushered Rapunzel forward. She pushed through the turnstile and made it to the other side, waiting for Eugene. He rushed through the gates, not wanting to keep Rapunzel waiting. Without thinking he offered her his hand. She glanced at him questioningly.

"Look, it's going to get really busy, really fast. I don't want you getting lost in the crowd," he said quickly. Rapunzel placed a small hand in his, intertwining their fingers. The crowd wasn't even that bad. But hey, why risk anything, right? Her hands were warm and sort of squishy, soft like a baby's. He didn't really like hand-holding. Even when he kept a girl for longer than a night, they didn't really do a lot of hand-holding. It just felt sweaty and uncomfortable. It wasn't as bad with Rapunzel. They began to trek down the main road, Rapunzel's eyes catching on everything.

"Mmm..." she hummed, inhaling deeply, "Eugene, their cookies smell even better than mine."

"You know, I haven't had your cookies yet, but I actually kinda doubt that theirs are better."

"Maybe we'll have to put them to the test later. Mother isn't coming home till tomorrow, maybe I can whip you up a quick batch before you go tonight?"

"Yeah," he agreed, "That'd be great." Rapunzel continued pointing things out to him, making little remarks.

"I like the little details they put into things."

"Like what?"

"Well, I mean the buildings all look like they belong in the same time period. The pathways are perfectly paved. Everything just looks like it fits together, you know? Like a puzzle."

"Yeah, I get it. Once you get past the commercialism, it's a pretty magical place," he admitted. They reached the central hub and Eugene turned to face Rapunzel.

"So where do we go first? Your choice," he said, pointing her towards the castle.

"Well, what are my choices?" she asked.

"Yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy," he said dramatically. Rapunzel looked at him with disbelief.

"Sorry, that was cheesy," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Let's start with the castle," she decided with a smile on her face.

"Sounds good," he replied, letting her take the lead to the drawbridge.

"Whose castle does this belong to, Eugene?"

"Sleeping Beauty. She was a princess."

"A real one?"

"Nah, just a made- up one in a story. An evil witch made her fall into a deep sleep that she couldn't wake up from."

"Oh! Well, what happened to her? Did she wake up?"

"Yeah, she did. Disney movies always have a happy ending. A prince woke her up."

"How? Did he yell at her or something?"

"Nah, he just let a demon cat into her room."

"Very funny, Eugene. You know, Pascal is actually very sweet."

"That's something I'd have to see to believe."

"So how'd he wake her up?" Rapunzel asked eagerly as they approached the towering castle.

"Well, he kissed her."

"Oh."

"You know what kissing is, right?"

"Of course I do! I give mother a kiss goodbye every day. I just don't get it. What was so special about his kiss?"

"Ah, um, it was true love's kiss."

"Oh okay. Eugene why do people kiss anyway?"

"Geez, do I have to be the one to explain this to you? Um, people kiss to show that they like each other. You kiss your mom cause you like her, right?"

"Yes, but she's not my true love."

"No, of course not. There's different kinds of kisses I guess. Like, family kisses and romantic kisses."

"Oh, I think I get it. Have you ever kissed someone, Eugene?"

"Yeah, of course, Blondie."

"A lot of people?"

"Uh, just some girls."

"Were they family kisses or romantic kisses?"

"Geez, lay off the interrogation, will ya? Look, here's the castle." Rapunzel stepped beneath the arch, staring upwards at the ceiling. She inspected every little corner of the castle, trying to visualize the architecture behind it. Finally she walked through the other end of the castle, trailing behind Eugene. He watched in amusement as her eyes lit up as she took in the little fake village. Before he know it, Eugene was being dragged through the crowd, Rapunzel's hand in his. It was still early enough that lines were brief, or nonexistent. Within an hour they'd been on half the rides in the Fantasyland section of the park and Rapunzel was still restless.

"Eugene?" she asked earnestly as they walked along the cobblestone path."

"Yeah?"

"Not that I don't like the rides we've been going on but is there anything that maybe goes a little faster?"

"Yeah there is. Mainly in other parts of the park. Is my little adrenaline junkie craving big scary rides?" he asked in a babyish voice, bopping her nose. Rapunzel was obviously not amused.

"Eugene, I don't know what an 'adrenaline junkie' is, but it doesn't sound too nice. Also maybe we can grab a snack? I keep walking by all these stands and everything looks really good."

"Sure thing Blondie. What are you craving?"

"One of those," she said, pointing to a nearby stand.

"A churro?"

"They smell delicious. Like cinnamon. What are they exactly?"

"You've had a doughnut before, right?"

"Yeah. Once mother let me have one."

"It's sort of like a long doughnut. But rolled in cinnamon sugar."

"That sounds amazing... Can I have one?"

"No need to ask permission. Go ahead. Get me one too while you're at it."

"What's the magic word?" she teased.

"Now?"

"Very funny," she dead-panned.

"Okay, okay. PLEASE get me a churro as well because I also have a craving for a delicious fried treat. I'm gonna stay back here, okay? You can practice buying things by yourself again." Rapunzel grinned and started towards the cart, thirty feet away. Eugene watched with a small smile as she stood in the line, still gazing around at the park.

"Flynn?" a feminine voice called out from behind him.

_Oh no. _

"Is that you?"

_No no no no no._

"It is you, isn't it, Flynn? What are you doing here? You got fired years ago!"

"Hi there, Stacy," he said sheepishly, turning around to face his fate. In front of him stood one of his least favorite coworkers. Ex-coworkers. He was really hoping he wouldn't run into anyone but fortune didn't always smile upon him. Stacy was a tall, beautiful model-esque girl, which had nabbed her the job of being a face character. Today she was in Snow White attire, but Eugene could see the blonde hair poking out slightly beneath her wig. She looked as beautiful as ever, with fair skin and a perfect smile. But thanks to her, Eugene had established one major dating rule:

Never date anyone crazy.

"I thought I wouldn't ever see you again, Flynn! And you never called or answered my emails, I thought something awful happened to you!" she said in a false sweet tone, rushing forward to hug him.

"Well, here I am. Just fine. No need to worry. And you know, you should really be getting to your job, I think kids are starting to notice, and really they deserve your attention a lot more than I do," he said, in an attempt to get her to leave. He really didn't want to think about what might happen if Rapunzel came back while this crazy woman was still around.

"You're right, Flynnikins. We should meet up after my shift. Then I can give you all the attention you need."

"You know, that sounds great, wonderful really, but today is kind of a bad day for me and I'm really busy and-" he said, stumbling upon his words.

Eugene wasn't normally afraid of anyone, certainly not girls. But Stacy could be really frightening. When he was about two months away from being fired, she had started working at the park and Eugene noticed her immediately. She invited him to a party and after about six drinks too many, he'd found a certain gorgeous blonde wrapped around him. Unaware of the consequences, he gave in and woke up the next morning to a beautiful girl searching through his belongings.

* * *

_"What are you DOING?"_

_"If we're going to live together, you have GOT to get rid of this shirt. It's so ratty. I can get you something nicer at the mall."_

_"What? Move in together?"_

_"You said we should last night. Remember? You said that I should stay at your place."_

_"Well, yeah, for the night! Not forever!"_

_"That's not how I remember it. But fine. I get it. You're not ready to let your girlfriend move in. You need your 'man space'."_

_"Girlfriend?!"_

_"You have a horrible memory. I'll see you later at work. Love you, Flynnikins!"_

* * *

He spent the last few months of his employment hiding from the threatening gaze of his "girlfriend", constantly trying to explain to her that they weren't dating. She just laughed it off, telling him how hilarious his jokes were. Shortly after getting fired, she started showing up at his home, until he finally broke it off completely, explaining that he was not now nor ever would be interested in dating her. She hadn't taken the news very well. Eugene woke up the next morning to a dozen hate messages on his voicemail featuring her shrill voice and splattered eggs on his front door. Now here she was, back in his life.

"Well, you should probably know that after you broke my heart, I eventually had to overcome my grief somehow. I'm afraid I'm someone else's girlfriend now, Flynn. You lost me forever, and you won't get me back."

"Didn't you just ask me out after work?" he asked, a bit confused.

"Oh, you always were so persuasive. Okay, I'll give you one more chance." She advanced towards him as he slowly took a few steps back, finally hitting a wall.

"You know, this is a really bad idea, Stacey," he said assertively, his words wavering only slightly.

"Why's that? Afraid your little girlfriend might catch us?"

"Yes. Err, no. I mean, she's not my girlfriend. Just a friend."

"She didn't look like 'just a friend'. She's a cute little thing, I guess. But to be honest, I think you can do _much_ better."

"Sorry, Stacey. Not interested," he said firmly, crossing his arms. She frowned but backed off slightly.

"I'm back!" Rapunzel's sweet voice called as she walked towards Eugene. He sighed with relief at her smiling face. Stacey flipped around to face the girl. Rapunzel immediately halted, surprised by this new person. But she smiled anyway and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Rapunzel. It's lovely to meet you."

"Rapunzel?" the girl scoffed. She turned to give a look of disbelief to Eugene.

"Umm, yes. I know it's kind of a strange name," Rapunzel murmured, suddenly ashamed of herself. Why hadn't Mother given her a more normal name?

"I was just catching up with an old friend," Eugene explained, walking over to Rapunzel, "In fact, we should probably get going and let Stacey get back to work. See you around!" He grabbed Rapunzel's empty hand and led her back through the crowds, hoping to get lost in the sea of people. He felt Stacey's icy stare boring into his back, but he ignored it, finally slowing down slightly.

"Eugene? Is everything okay?" Rapunzel asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Come on, over here," he said, leading her to the side of a building, slightly off the path.

"She didn't look too happy to see you go," Rapunzel noted.

"Really? I didn't notice," he remarked sarcastically.

"You two weren't really friends, were you?"

"Ah, no. Not really. Back when I worked here, she kinda got it into her head that we were dating. And I was really not interested."

"Why not?" Rapunzel asked, "She was really pretty."

"Yeah, I know. But being attractive isn't everything."

"Mother always makes it seem like it is. She's always telling me what's wrong with my face or my hair or my nails," Rapunzel said quietly. Eugene did a quick look back to see that they weren't being followed and turned to face Rapunzel.

"Cheer up, Punzie," he said, "I think your mom is just as crazy as Stacey. I don't see anything wrong with your face or your hair or your nails. "

"I'm not good at putting on make-up, my hair always falls in my face, and I bite my nails."

"You don't _need_ make-up, your mom doesn't even _let_ you put up your hair, and my nails are a train-wreck too," he rebuked, holding up his own hand. Rapunzel looked at his rough palm and short nails.

"I bite mine when Mother yells at me. Then it just kinda makes her yell some more," she admitted.

"It's a nervous habit for me. Every time I feel like stealing something, I end up chewing on my nails instead. I'd rather have screwed-up nails than a jail sentence for being caught stealing."

"Yeah, I'd rather you be here with chewed- up nails instead of in jail too," Rapunzel said, squeezing his hand. Eugene laughed softly and squeezed her tiny hand back. They stood there smiling for a few seconds before Eugene coughed slightly, breaking the silence.

"Well, now that we're not being chased by Crazy Stacey, maybe we should get going. Maybe another section of the park?" he suggested.

"Okay," Rapunzel agreed, "Oh! And here! I almost forgot about these." Rapunzel handed him one of the churros that she'd been holding the whole time. Eugene laughed and took it from her waiting hand. They each took a bite, Rapunzel giving him a thumbs up. Cinnamon sugar sprinkled around the corners of her mouth. Eugene reached out, carefully dusting it away. Rapunzel smiled and leaned in closer towards him.

"Ah, we should get going, remember?" Eugene said quietly, backing away with some reluctance. Rapunzel followed him back onto the path, concern on her face. Eugene tried to ignore it, but it was damn near impossible. He didn't want to upset her. In fact, he wanted to go the extra mile to make things _good_ for her. That didn't usually happen. It'd been a long time since he had been looking out for anyone else. But something about Rapunzel just seemed... Nice. Being with her made time go faster, but in a good sort of way.

_What's wrong with me? All these feelings for just a girl? No, she's more than just a girl. She much better than that._ Eugene's head spun as they marched through the crowds, Rapunzel eager to see everything.

He could really only come to one conclusion. One conclusion that he hated but needed at the same time. He denied it, arguing with himself in his head. They went on ride after ride, ate snack after snack, and laughed and talked until his throat was dry. But still Eugene just fought off the idea. He couldn't be in _love_. That would be ridiculous. Flynn Rider does _not_ fall in love. Although he supposed Eugene Fitzherbert could. But what did he know? How could he be sure this was love anyway? Maybe it was just some dumb attraction.

But there she was. Holding his hand, smiling at everyone they passed, smiling at him, swaying her head to the music, dropping his hand- wait why would she do that?

Rapunzel had run off to a small area where musicians played jazz music for the passing folk, mostly ignored by everyone.

But not Rapunzel.

She was the girl who never left her home. Everything was hidden from her. She couldn't even see the bad in people.

But damn, she could dance.

Eugene watched as a crowd slowly formed around Rapunzel's quick feet. He didn't even know what kind of dance she was doing. It wasn't modern, but it wasn't something classical either. She was spinning and shuffling and shaking in a way entirely of her own. Eugene watched as she pulled in other people to dance with her, starting up an enormous crowd. She grabbed Eugene's reluctant hand, pulling him close to her. He clumsily tried to follow her movements, only causing her to giggle. The jazz played louder and harder and faster as Rapunzel and Flynn spun around. The song ended with a flourish, the audience clapping and cheering. Eugene stared at the girl in his arms, face flushed, smile bright.

And then just as quickly as she had shown up, Rapunzel disappeared from the crowd. She grabbed Eugene by the hand and ducked through the throngs of people, walking along the pathway as if nothing happened. She just wanted to make the day a little bit better for everyone. She didn't even want the credit or appreciation.

That was when he knew he loved her.

* * *

A/N: Whew! Well, it's taken about a month to get this far, but I'm pretty proud of this chapter, especially the end. I wrote just a few paragraphs here and there every day or two. And I know it's a cliche to say that the reviews kept me going, but they really did. I'd log into fan fiction sometimes and see a new wonderful review and I'd just feel fantastic about myself. I'll try to get the next chapter out before the end of December, but no promises. Also please feel free to point out any grammatical or spelling errors I might have made, but please bear in mind that I typed all of this out on my phone, and even though I've double checked it, I'm only human. Oh! Also! If your name is Stacey, please don't be offended. The name has no particular meaning to me, I just plucked it out of my head at random.


	7. Chapter 6

Eugene watched as the sun slowly inched its way to the horizon. Sundown meant that the fireworks were coming up soon, and he still hadn't found a way to make them absolutely perfect for Rapunzel. They had been wandering around Main Street for a half hour or so, perusing shops and sampling treats. They held hands, no longer to make sure they didn't get separated, but simply because it felt nice.

"Eugene, can we go in there?" Rapunzel asked, pointing to a nearby shop. He had become accustomed to her constant questions. He was about to agree with her when he spotted a familiar face. Fortunately this face was a bit more welcoming than the last coworker's face he had seen.

"Why don't you go ahead and I'll catch up?" Eugene offered, ushering her towards the entrance. She smiled and walked in, leaving Eugene behind. He made sure she was safe inside before approaching the towering man across the street, sweeping a sidewalk. Tapping him on the shoulder, Eugene gave the man a winning grin as the giant turned around to greet him.

"Flynn? Is that really you?" the man bellowed, his own lips twisted in a smile. He propped his broom against a trash can and wrapped Eugene in an unexpected hug, lifting him clear off the ground.

"Whoa, calm down there!" Eugene laughed good-naturedly, wriggling around slightly. The bear-like man set him down carefully, beaming at him. He stood a good seven or eight inches above his old friend, his bulky arms twice the size of Eugene's. He had unruly brown hair and warm brown eyes, the very definition of a gentle giant.

"It's good to see you, Bastion," Eugene said genuinely. Back when he had worked at the park, the two of them had been thick as thieves. Or at least they would have been if Bastion wasn't such a goody-two-shoes. But he never ratted out Eugene when he caught him stealing; he just refused to do it himself. Despite their differences, you couldn't find a closer friendship.

"So what are you doing back here, man?" Bastion asked, picking up his broom again. He was, after all, at work.

"Well, it's a long story, but basically it's because of a girl."

"A girl? Geez Flynn, usually you just take them back to your apartment, but bringing them on an actual _date_? That's more of a thing I'd do."

"Yeah, well, she's a bit special. And that's why I need your help."

"_My_ help? I'm happy to help out, but I'm not sure exactly what I can do."

"You have access to the rooftop keys right?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes I have to clean up some of the trash that makes it up there. But I don't know how- _oh_."

"Whoa man, don't be getting any wrong ideas here. I just figured it'd be a nice secluded place for her to watch the fireworks. It's a big deal to her. No funny business, I swear."

"Hey, no worries. Meet me in front of the candy shop in twenty minutes with your girl. I think I can help you out. But you've gotta promise to let me meet this special gal. She must be something to change your ways, Flynn."

"Yeah, she is. See you in a bit." Eugene grinned and walked away as Bastion made his way to an employee area. Rapunzel was leaving the shop, clutching a small bag. She spotted Eugene and waved, tucking the bag in her purse.

"Whatcha got there?" he asked playfully, reaching over to her purse. Rapunzel quickly slapped his hand away.

"Not yet!" she chimed, "It's a present for later. A surprise." She stood triumphantly, arms crossed. For once she knew something that Eugene didn't know. He shrugged nonchalantly, pretending it didn't interest him, but his curiosity had piqued.

"Well, if you're going to give me a surprise, I guess I'll have to return the favor."

"How?"

"You'll see," Eugene said, winking at her, "Do you feel like grabbing anything to eat?"

"Sure! I'm sort of interested in trying one of those hot dog things I've been seeing people eat all day," she confessed. She had had sausages and frankfurters before, but they were never so thin and colorfully decorated with condiments like hot dogs were. She reached for Eugene's hand, as he led her away to a food vendor, his eyes on the rooftop. The sun was nearly set, but the fireworks wouldn't go off for another half hour or so afterwards. But at least they could talk for a bit. He wanted to tell her how he felt. But he had a hard time communicating it to himself.

* * *

Eugene stood in front of candy store twenty minutes later, a curious Rapunzel by his side. She watched as Eugene greeted a large man.

"Hey, right on time, Flynn," he bellowed, clapping an enormous hand on Eugene's shoulder. Eugene smiled good-naturedly as the man peeked over at Rapunzel.

"Is this the girl?" the man asked, turning towards Eugene.

"Yeah, this is her. Rapunzel, I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Bastion. He may look big and scary, but I swear he's as gentle as a lamb." Rapunzel reached a tentative hand out, but was met by Bastion pulling her into a hug. She laughed and hugged back.

"This one's a keeper, Flynn!" he chortled, patting her on the back. Eugene watched for a moment before stepping in between the two, jealousy slightly bubbling under his skin.

"Alright, alright. Lay off, will ya? Anyway, you got the key?"

"Yeah, I've got it," Bastion replied, twirling a key-ring he pulled from his pocket. He handed it over to Eugene.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"Nah. You can repay me by having a nice time tonight. You make sure he treats you right, okay sweetheart?" he instructed, winking at Rapunzel. She nodded cheerfully, giving him a thumbs up. Eugene pocketed the key and took Rapunzel's hand.

"Thanks again, Bastion," he said gratefully.

"No worries. Good night Rapunzel. Take good care of her, Flynn."

"I will," he agreed solemnly, turning to leave. They walked through the doorway into the busy shop, until Eugene stopped suddenly and turned around. Bastion still stood by the door.

"It's Eugene now, by the way," Eugene said. Bastion nodded, a smile playing on his lips. Eugene turned back around, a hand on the small of Rapunzel's back. He led her through the busy shop, filled with sticky, sweet treats. Finally he made his was to an unmarked door in a relatively secluded area. Looking around a bit, Eugene slipped the key into the lock and silently pulled the door open. He nodded to Rapunzel, who understood immediately. She slid her way through the door, quickly met by some stairs. She climbed up, listening to Eugene's footsteps behind her after he closed the door. The stairway was dark and thin, but Rapunzel soon reached a small landing. She felt another door and pushed it open, revealing that they were on the roof of the building.

"Eugene, what are we doing up here?" Rapunzel asked, nervous about breaking the rules.

"Well, considering this is going to be the best day of your life and all, you should have a decent seat. It's more of a manner of speech, seeing as there aren't any chairs up here, but I think you get my picture." Rapunzel grinned broadly and sat near the edge of the roof, close enough to see people on the sidewalk.

"They're not going to see us, are they?" she asked, watching as families streamed by.

"Nah. Maybe. If they do, just wave. I used to come up here all the time to get away." Eugene took a seat next to Rapunzel, their legs splayed out in front of them.

"Thank you, Eugene. It means a lot to me," she said softly. She leaned her head over into his shoulder. They sat there quietly for a few minutes, listening to the chatter of people below and the ambient music. The sun dipped along the horizon, darkening the sky slowly.

"It'll be a little while before the fireworks, you know," Eugene said reluctantly. He knew that Rapunzel was naturally patient, but he didn't want to make her wait. She'd already been waiting her whole life.

"I know. It's okay, Eugene. We can always talk."

"Yeah... talk," he said nervously.

"Are you alright?" Rapunzel asked, concern painting her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. He wanted to burst out and confess how he felt. But what if she didn't feel the same? All he would have accomplished was ruining her night. No, he'd wait until after the fireworks to tell her how she felt. Then at least if she didn't feel the same way, she could still have happy memories of the sparkling lights in the sky.

"How are _you_ feeling, though?" he asked in an attempt to sway the conversation away from him.

"I'm terrified," she admitted, "I'm afraid of being disappointed. I'm afraid that this magical display I've been watching all my life isn't so magical after all. I just spent all my life dreaming of this place that I knew nothing about, and now I'm here. I'm just scared that it won't be everything I dreamed of." Eugene stared at her as she confessed her feelings, trying to figure out what to say.

"It will be," he assured her, hoping to make her feel better.

"And if it is?" she asked, turning toward him, "What do I do then?"

"That's the good part. You can go find a new dream. There's always room for more dreams in the world." Rapunzel smiled at him appreciatively, reaching down to squeeze his hand. They people-watched for a while, occasionally snacking on treats that Rapunzel had bought earlier. It was quiet, the only ambient noise coming from the happy people in the streets and the soft music playing throughout the park.

"Oh, before I forget!" she yelped at one point, digging through her purse, "This is for you." She handed him the small bag from earlier. He opened it carefully, pulling out a wooden frame. It was a soft light brown color, with the year carved out on the top, and featured a candid picture that Rapunzel had bought earlier of them going down Splash Mountain. Eugene had sat behind her, and on the steep drop of the ride he covered her eyes. The picture captured her delight and terror perfectly as he wore a devilish smile.

"It's great," Eugene said quietly, rubbing a thumb against the frame.

"I'm not very good at gift giving," Rapunzel shrugged, "But I just wanted you to have something. Maybe you can think about me from time to time." She looked wistful, like she didn't think he would actually remember her after tomorrow.

"I'll put it on my desk at work, okay? And I'll see it every day," he offered, re-wrapping the gift. Rapunzel hugged him gently and thanked him.

"I was just afraid you would forget about me," she admitted.

"Now how could I forget anyone like you?" he joked, rubbing her back slightly. Suddenly, they heard loud, fanciful music in the distance. Rapunzel's head bounced up from Eugene's shoulder.

"I think it's time, kiddo," Eugene whispered as Rapunzel faced the castle in the distance. She watched in awe as the show began. They were loud and bright and so_ real_. Even on a chilly evening, Rapunzel's heart felt warm with happiness. Eugene watched her face as Rapunzel took in the sights. She loved the whistling sound they made as they soared up into the sky and the boom that happened when they reached their peak. Most of all, she love the colors. She could have every color of paint on the planet and never copy the beauty of the sky that night. It just wouldn't feel real.

Sparkles of purple and red and yellow and orange and white dusted the night sky. Smoke from the fireworks launch gathered slowly as the show continued. Rapunzel leaned her head against Eugene's shoulder, her eyes still drawn to the lit sky.

"I'm so happy, Eugene," she murmured, "I've been waiting all my life to see these and now I finally have. I finally see the light."

"Yeah, me too," he thought out loud. He realized his mistake and bit his lip, but Rapunzel hadn't even noticed what he said. She remained snuggled there on his shoulder for the last ten minutes of the show. Eugene played with the ends of her soft braided hair, amazed by it. Well, more amazed by the girl the hair belonged to.

The finale began, consisting of more flashes and bangs and bright lights than they had used in the entire show. The music sped up and blasted even louder as the crowd cheered. Rapunzel covered her ears slightly, blocking out most of the banging. She loved every noise, but she wasn't used to this volume. After a burst of at least a dozen simultaneous fireworks, the show concluded with a musical flourish. The crowd cheered, including Rapunzel as she clapped her tiny hands together. Eugene laughed at her reaction, but clapped his hands as well.

Rapunzel turned towards Eugene, pure joy flashing across her face. Their eyes caught, and Eugene reached down to hold her hands. His mind went blank and he became oblivious to anything but her face. Rapunzel found herself fascinated by his eyes, actually _seeing _them for the first time. Her face moved towards his, her body shifting to face him better. Eugene released one of his hands from hers, moving it up to cup her chin, rough fingers caressing her silky cheek. His lips aimed for hers as he drew her face up towards his. And before he knew it, her lips were on his.

Her lips were soft and sweet, only a little apprehensive. But she was the one who had rushed to kiss him, controlled by some unknown impulse. Eugene felt a wave of energy through his body, a feeling he'd never felt before. The kiss was brief, Rapunzel pulling away carefully after a few seconds. Eugene eyed her cautiously, waiting for a reaction. Her eyes shimmered, competing for his attention with her softly pouted lips. Suddenly she had wrapped her wiry arms around his neck, nearly knocking him on his back.

"Thank you," she whispered. Eugene wrapped his arms around her, his mind a blur and his heart pumping.

"Thank _you_," he laughed, pulling away slightly to see her face. The corners of her eyes glistened with tears, which Eugene wiped away.

"That was a romantic kiss, right?" she asked, slightly unsure, "Not a family one?" Eugene paused for a moment before remembering their earlier conversation about the different types of kisses. He laughed and planted another small kiss on her forehead.

"It was a romantic one, Blondie. As romantic as they get." Her smile lit up the dark rooftop, but was quickly shut down.

"Eugene what do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do romantic kisses lead to?"

"Err..." He was confused by the question, and reluctant to give her the only answer he could think of. But before he could give her the short version of a sex talk, she started speaking again, babbling at a mile a minute.

"Does this mean we're getting married? I don't know much about couples but I know that's one thing they do and I'm not sure I'm ready for that and I can't imagine how Mother would react to tha-"

"Whoa whoa! Slow down, kid! Sorry to disappoint you but marriage is _not_ in my immediate future." Rapunzel almost looked relieved. Still, her eyes clouded with worry.

"Rapunzel, I know this is sort of rushed, but maybe you can stay with me. I know I don't really have a right to just take you from this life you've known so long, but I don't know how I'll keep living without you," he admitted. He was surprised by the word vomit coming from his mouth. It was like his Flynn Rider facade had completely faded and there was an honest man at his core.

"B-b-but I-I-I don't know anything about you!" Rapunzel stammered, shocked at his proposition. Eugene grabbed her hands, looking at her square in the face.

"Rapunzel before I say anything else, I need to know how you feel."

"How I feel?"

"About me. How do you feel about me?" He clutched at her hands like a madman, as she looked thoughtful. After a few seconds she opened her mouth.

"When I see you, I forget all the bad stuff. I don't worry about Mother or about going home. When you seem upset, I want to do everything to fix it. I can't imagine anything I'd rather do than just be with you. You make me feel like I have a place in the world. Like I'm more than a lonely girl waiting for something to happen. _You_ happened, Eugene. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Everything looks different now that you're here." Rapunzel looked down at her hands, an embarrassed glow dappling her cheeks. Eugene pulled her into his arms again.

"Then we'll figure something out. I promise you, Rapunzel."

"I need some time to think things over, if you don't mind," she said apprehensively. Eugene nodded, forcing out an answer.

"Take whatever time you need. Maybe we should concentrate right now on getting you home. We can talk more there." He stood up carefully, offering her a hand. Rapunzel took it graciously, taking one last look at the park before reaching the door that led back down to the real world. In less than an hour her life would go from magical back to normal again. Well, almost normal. She still had this entanglement with Eugene to figure out. She'd heard of love before, and she knew people formed couples and relationships, but Mother had always neglected to tell her anything more. How did it feel to be in love with someone? Was it when your heart hurt when that person wasn't near? Or maybe it was when you did anything you could for that person. Rapunzel mused silently as Eugene pulled her down the stairs back to the candy shop.

What if she decided that she did love him? Could she just pick up her life and spend the rest of it with him? She didn't even know how things worked out in the world outside her room. And what about Mother? She'd come searching for her. Without her fountain of youth, her health and beauty would decline. Rapunzel didn't want to risk upsetting her. Mother could be frightening when she was mad. Her mind buzzed with activity as Eugene led her out the park. He tried to slow down when they reached the exit, figuring Rapunzel might get sentimental, but she kept her head down, a look of conflict and concentration on her face. She hadn't even noticed that they left. Guilt clouded Eugene's head, knowing that he was the cause of the arguments in her head. Still, he hoped they would come out in his favor.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the country, Sharon Gothel was seated in her posh hotel room, the expanse of New York City below her. It was late, and she wondered if Rapunzel was in bed yet. She didn't feel poorly about not calling her. She knew the party she had been begged to attend would notice her absence if she slipped out to phone her daughter. And certainly that wouldn't be something she could easily explain to her agent. She sat on the edge of her bed, removing her stockings and switching on the television. She hated that thing ever since it came out more than half a century ago, and only watched it if she knew she was going to be on. She had been interviewed a few days ago and was looking forward to watching that.

Gothel flipped through the channels, granting each one a short pause before she switched to the next. She was certainly too old for cartoons, the only interesting celebrity gossip was about her, and cooking shows were more to Rapunzel's taste. A familiar news station came up, their story about Disneyland. _Ugh._ She hated that place too. She wished she hadn't moved so close to it, but it was much too late now. Moving Rapunzel out of the apartment would be a much bigger hassle than she was prepared to deal with. The focus of the story was about how the fireworks show from a few days ago had had a major engineering failure. _Good. Maybe someone got hurt._ The plucky news anchor reported no casualties and that the error had been remedied quickly. _Damn._ The camera scanned a happy crowd, huddled along Main Street USA. Gothel frowned at the image and began to flip the channel as the camera finished its swoop over the crowd. Suddenly a familiar sight caught her eye. Gothel stared at a blurry couple in the upper left hand corner of the screen. On top of a building sat a handsome-looking man, smiling like an idiot at… Rapunzel? Gothel rubbed her eyes, and looked back at the screen, but the production crew had already switched from the view of Disneyland to that of a serious-looking newswoman. Thoughts swarmed into Gothel's head, doubt and confusion. Of course that wasn't Rapunzel. Just another girl that looked like her. She didn't give Rapunzel a second thought.

Gothel finished undressing just as she heard the running water of a shower switch off. The guy she had picked up at the party earlier stepped out of the bathroom, somewhat unsure of himself. A vacant stare occupied his eyes as he stood in the doorway. Gothel beckoned to him and he slowly shuffled forward, his footsteps heavy with doubt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, someone was screaming at him to stop and snap out of it. It was kind of funny, but the voice in his head sounded a little bit like himself. But this woman was so enchanting and interesting and beautiful, how could he stay away? He pushed the unwelcome thought from his hypnotized head and continued toward the center of the room. Gothel smiled wickedly, pleased with how the remainder of the night would commence.

* * *

Eugene kept his hands tightly gripped around the steering wheel, trying to keep his head straight. Rapunzel sat next to him in the passenger seat, biting her lips and clutching her small envelop full of photos. They had just left the drug store and for a few moments both of them relaxed as they stood before a large piece of machinery, flipping through all the pictures Eugene had taken.

_"I don't remember you taking this one, Eugene."_

_"Hm? Oh, yeah, I took that on the boat ride. You weren't paying attention. You know what, I like that one. Let me have a copy of it too."_

_"There aren't enough pictures of you in here."_

_"Sure there are, Blondie. Look, here's the one you took."_

_"But it's all blurry and I cut off half your head."_

_"I think it looks better that way. Besides, you can't possibly take a bad picture if I'm in it."_

Rapunzel was weighing her options carefully, but whenever she found an advantage to living with Eugene, there was an equal disadvantage. _I could finally see the rest of this city, or maybe the world. But then again, I don't even know how the world works. I could meet new people, but what if they're just like Mother always warned me about? Most importantly, I'd be with Eugene, and he makes me feel so happy and light and warm. But Mother would absolutely kill me if she found me. And I'd miss her. Oh, but I'd miss Eugene too if he was gone. What do I do…_

Eugene wanted to try to make an argument about why she should stay with him, but he could see she was already fighting with herself. He couldn't even understand why he needed her with him so badly. No one had ever had an impact on him like this. But something in his gut told him that she was important. And as cheesy as it sounded, he couldn't imagine what a life without her would be like. _Geez, how the hell does this happen anyway? You know a girl for two days and she's got you wrapped in the palm of her hand. It's supposed to be the other way around. But she makes me feel happy. And hopeful too, I guess. Like I can be a better person. I'm sick of being a sleazeball. Maybe she's here to help me._

Sick of beating himself up, he flicked the radio on, hoping the music would tune out his thoughts. Rapunzel's eyes flicked over to the console as Eugene flipped a few knobs, looking for his favorite station. Snippets of music played as he finally reached his destination.

"Eugene?" Rapunzel whispered softly, "What's this?"

"Uh, music?" he answered facetiously.

"I know what music is," Rapunzel scoffed, frowning at him, "I mean what kind. All Mother listens to is classical stuff. Symphonies and piano pieces."

"This is rock music." Rapunzel scrunched her eyebrows, picturing all the geological formations she had studied over the years. But that couldn't be right. Rocks were inanimate objects, after all. Slang was so confusing. Eugene read her mind and laughed a bit, happy to break up some of the tension in the air.

"Rock 'n roll music, baby. Like, with electric guitars and drums and crazy haircuts. Not actual rocks."

"I knew that," Rapunzel said quickly, attempting to cover up her mistake. Eugene just smiled to himself, relaxing the tension in his hands slightly. Her home was just around the corner, and he had no idea how things would play out once they got there. He parked the car as Rapunzel nervously tried to avoid looking at him.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you inside." He got out and helped her out of her seat, draping an arm over her shoulder as he led her inside. Pascal was waiting by the front door obediently, pleased to see Rapunzel. He immediately leapt up and ran through her legs, purring contentedly. Rapunzel sighed and gave him a brief pet. She brought her eyes up to Eugene, as he stood awkwardly by the door.

"So, I guess I should get your satchel, huh?" she mumbled, avoiding his concerned gaze. Eugene stood dumbstruck, finally answering her.

"Wait, does this mean…"

"I can't go with you, Eugene. I just… I just can't," she said, quickly making her way down the hall. Pascal stared after her, and then glared at Eugene. _What did you do?_ he seemed to ask.

"I didn't do anything," Eugene protested in a whisper to the cat's silent question. He groaned, and then followed behind Rapunzel, poking his head into every doorway, searching for Rapunzel. He finally caught a glimpse of her long braided hair and stepped inside a small room lined with bookshelves. Rapunzel was on her knees, bent over a small corner of the room, a stack of books by her side.

"I'm guessing this is the library then," he said, causing Rapunzel to jump at the sound. She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Don't scare me like that!" she squeaked, returning to her corner, removing a few more books.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me scaring you again," he said grimly, "What are you doing down there?" She glanced back at him briefly, and motioned him over. Eugene walked the eight feet and sat down next to her, sliding the books aside. In front of her was a small area of shelf space devoid of books, with a few inches of wall space behind the back of the shelf. Tucked away, was his beat-up brown satchel. Eugene wiped away the urge to snatch it.

"I wouldn't be able to hide anything from Mother back here, but you don't know the layout of the house." She pulled out the bag and handed it over to him. Eugene checked the inside, making sure he still had everything. Not that Rapunzel would steal anything from him, of course. He felt a queasy stomach as he looked at the cardboard box that contained his tool for getting a promotion. He felt silly and childish thinking about how he had gotten so worked up over a stupid false pregnancy test. Rapunzel started replacing the books, wordlessly avoiding his face.

"Rapunzel, I know you have every right to make a decision about where you want to go, and I'll respect that decision. But I just want to know why. Why would you want to stay here with someone who mistreats you and doesn't let you leave?" Rapunzel paused her work and was thoughtful for a moment.

"Why do you want me to come with you so badly?" she asked, turning back to her books. Eugene frowned, but answered honestly.

"I don't know. Being with you just feels right. Rapunzel, I don't want to walk out that door without you. No one's ever cared about me like you have, and I've never cared about anyone more than I have about you. Something inside of me just says that… that you're special." Rapunzel finished packing the books into the shelves and turned to look at Eugene. His face looked sincere and honest and warm.

"I want to come with you," she admitted, painfully swallowing back tears, "I want to so bad. But I don't know what it's like out there. And I don't know how my mother will handle it here alone. I'm afraid of what might happen if she discovers that I've left. I couldn't bear to place you in any danger. It's safer for you to just stay away from me." She stood up, moving around Eugene, heading towards the doorway.

"Rapunzel, wait!" he called out, stumbling to his feet. Rapunzel stopped in the doorway and turned around, looking at him expectantly.

"Please, just give me a chance. You should be with me, not locked up here all the time. You'll be so much happier," he protested desperately, walking towards her.

"You know what's funny, Eugene?" she said softly, as he reached out to touch her, "I've only known two people my whole life, and both of them seem to think they know what's best for me." She backed away from him and continued once again to the front room. Eugene followed closely behind, berating himself internally. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why'd you have to push her so hard?_ He approached her as she finally came to the front door. She held it open for him, while staring coldly at the ground. Eugene was at a loss of words or what to do. He looked around the lavish front room. Would this be the last time he'd ever see it? He hoped not. His eyes caught on a creamy-white telephone on the wall and an idea came to him.

"Wait, Rapunzel, one more thing." He dug through his bag, finally revealing a business card. He also pulled out a pen and scrawled something across the front of the card. Handing it over to Rapunzel, he waited nervously for her to read it. It was a simple, plain white business card, nothing impressive.

Flynn Rider

Photographer/writer

Eugene had scratched out the name "Flynn Rider" and replaced it with "Eugene Fitzherbert". Beneath that were two phone numbers, labeled "Work" and "Home". Rapunzel studied it carefully, running a finger across his name.

"You want me to call you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes! Exactly! Rapunzel, if you ever need anything or you change your mind or you just wanna talk, all you have to do is call me. Hell, if you're craving pizza and a soda, you can call me. I just want you to have someone you can count on." He rubbed the back of his head nervously, watching Rapunzel's expression. She smiled very slightly, almost unnoticeably.

"Thank you," she said simply and sincerely. She pocketed the card and nodded towards the door. Her frown had returned and it became abundantly clear to Eugene that it was time to go. He acted on a whim and reached out to her, pulling her thin body into his. She gasped slightly in surprise, but accepted his hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. Eugene ran a hand down her braid, and kissed her forehead softly. He pulled away slowly, dropping his hands to his side again.

"Thanks, Rapunzel. For everything, I mean." He didn't wait for her reaction, and instead simply walked out the door, closing it gently, but firmly. As far as endings went, this one was the hardest he'd ever experienced, but at least it didn't end with someone throwing something at his head or screaming at him. Eugene made his way downstairs and got into his car, the feeling of Rapunzel still lingering in the normally stale air. He begrudgingly set the car in gear and pulled out of the parking spot. The towering building faded slowly in his rearview mirror as he drove off into the night, the spoils of his victory occupying the seat that had previously held the beautiful girl he never could have dreamed of. He tried not to let Rapunzel's sweet, naïve face cloud his thoughts as he drove back to his apartment.

Behind the closed front door, Rapunzel was trying her hardest not to break down completely. She stood by the door five minutes after Eugene had already left. Maybe she expected him to come back. She almost secretly hoped that. But that dream was shattered when she could have sworn she heard his car peeling out of the apartment parking lot.

* * *

A few days later

Eugene sat at his desk, head in his hand. It was dark outside, and the only light was from his glowing computer monitor in front of him, eagerly waiting for him to press a button. An email was open, addressed to his boss, containing his first draft of the Sharon Gothel Exposure. There was an attached image of a failed pregnancy test. The report was dramatic and proofread and lengthy. Perfect for the upcoming magazine. All Eugene had to do was send it. Something inside him begged he wouldn't send it. It just seemed wrong. He took a deep breath and gently clicked the mouse button anyway. His screen flashed to the next page, confirming that his message was sent. He sighed and shut his computer down. Tomorrow was going to be a big day at the office.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel was in her room, studying as she usually did in the evenings. Mother was home, but she said she didn't feel like talking tonight. She had had a long trip. This usually happened. So Rapunzel pulled down a heavy calculus book from her shelf. Carelessly underestimating the weight of the book, she dropped it on the ground where it landed with a heavy _thud_.

"Oops," Rapunzel whispered softly to herself, awaiting Mother's angry call. She bit her lip and peeked outside. The fireworks were starting, pink and blue sparkles dancing through the velvet night sky.

"Rapunzel! What was that loud noise?" Mother called out angrily. Rapunzel glanced out the window, thinking quickly.

"Nothing, Mother! Just the fireworks!" Her mother was silent. Rapunzel sighed in relief, carrying her book over to the bed. Pascal sidled up to her, rubbing his furry brown head against her leg as she settled onto her bed. It was a quiet life, compared to her recent adventure, but it's not like she was going to get out of the house again. She might as well get used to it.

* * *

A/N: Hi, I didn't mean to take so long getting this chapter out, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. But trust me, this is definitely not the end. I've already started work on the next chapter. Thank you again for your words of encouragement. The new reviews or favorites or follows were constant reminders for me to get back on track and keep writing. Again, I proofread the whole thing but if you noticed any glaring mistakes, please point them out to me. Also, I have no idea I there is actually a staircase in any of the Main Street buildings leading up to the roof. It was just an idea I had. Thank you everyone, once again.


	8. Chapter 7

_December_

* * *

It was a dreary, gray afternoon in Anaheim, clouds covering the sky and blocking out the sun, making the upcoming holidays seem like a depressing affair as opposed to a festive one.

Naturally, Eugene was spending the early afternoon lying in bed.

Slowly, he shook himself awake, his slumber having been interrupted by the shrill beep of his answering machine. He groaned, as he listened to the machine play his standard "I'm not home right now, leave a message" recording. The phone was all the way in the kitchen, so whoever was calling would have to wait. He snuggled deep into his bed, turning to his other side. Oh yeah. There was the girl he'd taken home last night. He struggled to remember her name. _Foxy? Roxy? Eh, something like that. _She'd be gone soon enough. He breathed in deeply, attempting to fall back asleep. Whoever was leaving him a message was taking a long time. He could still hear the mumbled voice from the kitchen. Suddenly his ears perked up to a single word.

_Eugene_.

As fast as he could manage, Eugene pulled the covers off and ran to the kitchen, standing over the machine anxiously. The caller had just hung up, but whoever it was had said his name. His _real_ name. And there weren't a whole lot of people who knew it. He pressed a single button on the phone charger, as a small, red light blinked at him impatiently. A mechanical voice came on briefly.

"You have five missed calls and one new message." A long beep followed this emotionless recitation, where it was quickly replaced by the voice of a scared, whispering girl.

"Eugene? I hope this is you. It sounded like your voice on the message, but I couldn't be sure. It's me... Rapunzel. I think I need your help. I'm really scared. I think Mother knows about our trip. I don't know exactly what's going on, but I don't think it's anything good. She's gone all day today, but I'm afraid of what's going to happen when she comes back. Please, Eugene. If you can hear this, please come help me."

The message cut off abruptly there, as Eugene stood in his kitchen, glued to the spot. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed behind him, but he barely noticed. A pale girl with long, white blonde hair wrapped her arms around his waist, her head pressed against his bare back.

"You didn't have to wake me up so rudely, you know," she complained teasingly, "Who's Eugene?" Snapping back into reality, Eugene quickly turned to the half-dressed woman behind him. His face was hardened with concern for Rapunzel, and he simply side-stepped last night's temporary companion.

"I have to go out, maybe it's time for you to get going too," he said, repeating a line he'd used dozens of times in the past. Except this time he really meant it. He leaned over and plucked a pair of jeans from last night from his kitchen floor, pulling them on quickly.

"Oh, okay," the voice behind him said. It was easy to sense the thinly veiled anger and resentment in her tense speech.

"I'm really sorry. But look, last night was really fun and maybe we can do it again some other time," he lied, as he went digging through the dresser in his room for a clean shirt and some socks.

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed noncommittally. She donned her own clothes, staring at him with suspicious eyes. Eugene pulled on his beat-up sneakers and grabbed his satchel. He turned to the girl once again. She sat on the edge of his bed, looking disappointed, but unsurprised. He felt a twinge of guilt and walked over to the bed, pulling her up from her seat.

"Do you need a ride home or anything?" he asked politely, feeling slightly sick for having her over in the first place. But he hadn't talked to Rapunzel in over three months. He usually didn't even like to think about her. It was easier to block her sweet face out of his mind with alcohol and easy women.

"I'll be fine," the girl assured him, "I'll phone one of my friends to pick me up. You go do what you've gotta do. I can show myself out." Eugene smiled gratefully and ran outside to his car, stopping briefly in the kitchen to delete his voicemail. After waiting a few minutes for his car to leave the parking lot, his temporary guest pulled out her cell phone.

"I'm here alone, what should I look for?" she asked the person on the other line. She listened intently, and then pulled a photograph out of her pocket.

"This girl? Okay. Rapunzel. If I see anything relating the two, I'll let you know." She hung up the phone and started scoping out the small apartment. It was pretty bare of any actual personal treasures. Just boring, normal furniture, just like every other bachelor's apartment. The client requesting an investigation on Flynn was unusual. She wore all black and covered her face, simply handing her a few photos. She told her to look for any evidence linking him to a blonde girl named Rapunzel. It was a strange case, but not impossible. So, like a good private detective, Maxine got on the case.

It was easy enough, seducing him at a bar and convincing him to take her home. She had a feeling he did this often anyway. The night was..._interesting_, but not revealing about this "Rapunzel" girl her client was so concerned about. She didn't know who had left that message that freaked him out so much, but at least it got him out of the house so she could do some snooping. Flynn Rider was certainly a man of few possessions, as his bare living room proved. A clock. A TV. A black leather couch. A stainless steel end table. All normal living room stuff. Maxine pulled open a drawer on the end table, hoping for something interesting. Just extra batteries and remote controls. Newspapers stacked up on the glass coffee table, mostly seedy tabloids. She flipped through a few, discovering a few articles written by Flynn himself. _A bit full of himself, isn't he?_ she thought. Her search continued in the kitchen, but it remained fruitless, literally. A simple inspection of the cupboards and fridge revealed that Flynn had quite the sweet tooth, but that information was hardly incriminating.

Maxine switched her focus to the bathroom, not expecting much of anything, but it couldn't hurt to look. She was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness it presented. However, it still lacked the evidence she needed. She combed out her hair quickly and splashed a bit of water onto her face while she was in there. The bedroom was last on her list, but likely to wield the best results. No better place to hide your secrets.

Maxine poked around in all the normal places, but nothing turned up. No pretty, blonde girls named Rapunzel. Taking another quick look at the photo, she wondered how long that blonde hair was. The photo only showcased her shoulders and up. She carefully rifled through the dresser, but was only rewarded with poorly folded clothes. Her hand slipped into the back of a drawer and touched some kind of packet made of thick paper. She pulled it out and examined the glossy envelope, the kind that usually held photographs. Recognizing the logo from a local drug store, she wondered what kinds of pictures could be inside. Her curiosity overpowered her, and she cautiously pulled out the pictures. Bingo.

There were about two dozen snapshots of this Rapunzel girl. A few of them even had Flynn in frame. There was Rapunzel leaning over the railing of a boat. There she was smiling at something off frame. There she was standing next to Mickey Mouse. Maxine was confused. Why did her client care so much about these two? It looked like a normal couple going on a date to Disneyland. What confused her even further was the unusual hair that belonged to the girl. It wasn't brushed straight down like in the photograph that her client had given her, but rather plaited into a thick braid that reached well past her waist. But a job was a job. Maxine pulled out her phone and snapped pictures of each photo, hoping that would be enough to please her client. It'd be too much of a risk to just take them with her. For all she knew, Flynn took these out and looked at them every night. She walked leisurely into the living room again, convinced that her job was complete. The clock on the wall informed her that it had been close to an hour since her search had begun, and Maxine quickly deducted that she should get going.

She phoned her client again, arranging to meet in an hour. Enough time for her to go home and change at least. Grabbing her purse, she called a nearby taxi service to pick her up. As she walked out the front door she remembered Flynn picking up a spare key from beneath the front mat the night before. She located it and locked the door behind her. She briefly considered stealing the key, but Flynn seemed like a sharp enough guy, and if he was a halfway decent reporter, he'd likely notice something was missing. The taxi came and picked her within a few minutes, which Maxine appreciated greatly. Her mission was nearly completed and a check worth two thousand dollars was waiting for her just a few hours away.

* * *

Eugene sat in his car in front of Rapunzel's apartment. _Stupid, I should have called her and let her know I was coming. So stupid._ It seemed relatively deserted, but Gothel always rode in a limo to work, so there was no way he could tell if she was home or not. He just had to hope Rapunzel was alone. He got out of the car and stared up at the towering building. It was intimidating as ever, but Rapunzel needed help. Nervously walking through the lobby, keeping his head down and ignoring the curious glances from the few people milling about, he stepped into the elevator. Shining, golden buttons waited for him, and in no time the elevator was zooming up to the top floor.

Finally in the small chamber in front of Rapunzel's apartment, Eugene leaned against the front door, his ear pressed tight to it, but it was no use. The entire apartment was soundproof. He slowly and quietly turned the gilded doorknob, cracking the door slightly. The sound of Rapunzel's delicate voice came from inside. Eugene listened closely until the end of her enchanting song, waiting to hear other voices, but there were none.

"Pascal, what do you think is going to happen?" she asked her cat, worry in her voice, "I'm worried that Mother knows about... about Eugene." Her voice dropped low when she said his name, as if even mentioning it would cause her mother to fly into a frenzy. But obviously Gothel wasn't here, at least not at the moment. Silently, Eugene slipped into the room, closing the front door.

The cat sensed him first, poking his soft head around the corner. He spied Eugene and sauntered over to him, with the nonchalance only a cat manage. Eugene rolled his eyes, but he still reached down to pet Pascal behind the ears. The cat purred contentedly, now attempting to climb up Eugene's arm.

"Pascal? Where'd you go?" Rapunzel called softly from the other room. Eugene heard the sound of her quick, tiny footsteps down the hall, headed in his direction. Eugene pushed Pascal off of him, ushering him towards Rapunzel. Then, there she was, entering the room from the main hallway. Her eyes searched eagerly for her cat, scanning the floor until she found him.

"There you are, Pascal. Why'd you go running off like that?" She looked up, her face catching the sunlight coming in through a window in the back of the room. Eugene gave a little half wave and his trademark smirk as their eyes met. Rapunzel stood still, completely frozen. They stood for a few seconds, Eugene wondering if Rapunzel was even breathing.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. Rapunzel let out a tiny, excited shriek, before rushing over into his arms.

"Oof!" he gasped, as she rammed herself into his chest, nearly knocking him backward. He caught his balance and wrapped his strong arms around her. His fingers trailed through her golden hair.

"Hey, baby," he chuckled softly, strands of yellow sifting through his fingers. Rapunzel looked up at him incredulously, corners of her eyes glistening slightly.

"Eugene, I didn't think you'd show up!" Her cheeks were flushed, causing her freckles to stand out.

"Put a little faith into me next time," he joked, "So, what's got you all upset, Princess?"

"Princess? That's a new one," Rapunzel said, scrunching up her nose, "I don't think I like it really."

"Sorry, I'll stick to 'kiddo'. Now what's the problem?" Eugene asked impatiently. Rapunzel looked down at her feet, almost reluctant to admit it.

"I think Mother knows about our trip." She bit her lip, ready to be yelled at. However, Eugene only took her into his arms again.

"Why do you think she knows?" he asked calmly.

"It was my own stupid fault," Rapunzel moaned into his shoulder, "I said the word 'fireworks'. Mother never called them that. _You_ were the one who taught me that word. After that, she started acting suspicious. She doesn't leave the house very often anymore. This morning before she left, she said that things were going to get better soon. She was gathering all the extra money and her jewelry and packing it away too. I guess she thinks I'm too dumb to notice." The words poured out of Rapunzel's mouth like a rainstorm.

"It's going to be okay, Rapunzel. I promise. How can I help?" Eugene asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure, Eugene... I keep thinking back to when you asked me to stay with you, saying it would be better for me. I think... I think maybe you were right. I'm afraid of what happens if I stay here. I'm afraid of my own_ mother_. I mean, that's not really normal, is it?"

"Well, generally speaking, not really. So you're saying you want to leave?"

"Yes," Rapunzel answered firmly, "That is, if you'll still help me."

"Rapunzel, I'll take you wherever you wanna go," Eugene offered. Rapunzel nodded solemnly, thinking it through.

"Can Pascal come with us?"

"Of course. You know, I'm kind of fond of the fur-ball." Eugene reached down and plucked the cat from the ground. Pascal curled up in his arms, accepting of this man that Rapunzel seemed to like so much.

"We don't have very long," Rapunzel said, biting her bottom lip slightly, "What do I need to bring?"

"Er- clothes, I guess? I'm not sure where you're planning on going."

"Far away, where Mother can't get to me."

"Okay. I have an idea. You can come back home with me tonight. I'll need a day or two to get my stuff ready. Then we can jump in my car and just drive until we find somewhere we like. Sound good, kid?" Eugene offered, proud of himself for coming up with the plan. Sure, it wasn't exactly original, but it seemed like the best course of action. Rapunzel smiled, obviously pleased by this idea.

"We can go wherever we want?"

"Anywhere in the world," he promised. He held his tongue about the possibility of money issues, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"So, what do I need to bring?" Rapunzel asked cheerfully, already taking off down the hallway. Eugene followed behind dutifully and amused. That took a lot less convincing than he had thought. (Although, when you think your own mother is going to keep you locked up for your entire life, it calls for desperate measures.) Eugene let the thought cross his mind that she was only choosing to go with him because her mother had frightened her so much, but he avoided being bitter about it. With people like Rapunzel, family ALWAYS came first, no matter how crazy and selfish they were. He wondered how Gothel would react when she noticed Rapunzel's a sense. He smiled at the idea. That horrible woman had no business being anywhere NEAR Rapunzel in the first place, whether she was her mother or not. (What kind of mother uses her daughter's magic hair to stay young and beautiful forever anyway? Well, probably not many now that I think about it.) Eugene stopped in front of Rapunzel's room and watched as she pulled half a dozen canvas bags from her closet.

"I'm sorry I don't have a suitcase or a backpack or anything," she apologized, "But Mother figured I didn't need any kind of travel bag anyway. I've just got these little ones that I usually use to tote around my knitting supplies and things like that."

"It's fine, Blondie. You don't need much. Just pack some clothes, okay? Whatever makes you feel comfortable. We can get you some more if we need to. Anything else small you might want is good too." Eugene looked around the fanciful room. It was well-decorated, and he pitied Rapunzel for having to say goodbye to it. He took a peek at the enormous purple canopy bed. _Damn. If only we had a little longer. That coulda been put to good use_. He shook the thoughts from his head, instead focusing on Rapunzel's drawings that she had tacked up on the wall. She was definitely something of an artist. _Maybe she could get a job involving drawing or something_. A sudden thought came to Eugene's head.

"Hey, Blondie? Do you have a birth certificate or social security card or anything like that here? Because that'd be another good thing to pack." Rapunzel scrunched up her face in thought, and then shook her head.

"I don't know. What's a birth certificate? It sounds pretty formal."

"Basically it's a piece of paper stating your name, your birthday, the names of your parents, information like that. Everyone has one."

"Well, if I've got one I don't know where it is."

"Damn. Wait, does your Mother have a safe?" In his years of sneaking about, Eugene noticed that people generally put their important documents in there. He watched as Rapunzel nodded slowly.

"Yes... I think she does. In her office. I'm not allowed to go in there, even when she's home, but I've seen it before. Big metal box with a dial on the front, right?"

"That would be it. Where's her office?" Rapunzel got up and walked with him down the hall, stopping at a closed door. She looked nervous, as if her mother was actually in there. Eugene put his hand on the knob and smiled mischievously.

"Come on, Blondie... Weren't you ever curious about what's in here?"

"Well, a little, but unlike _some people_ I have respect for privacy," she retorted, arms crossed. Eugene just shrugged good-naturedly and pushed the door open. It looked like a pretty normal office, filled with stainless steel furniture. He scanned the room, spotting a rather large safe in her corner of them room. He knelt down next to it, Rapunzel quickly following suit. Carefully, Eugene placed an ear next to the lock, turning the dial very slightly.

"What are you doing?" Rapunzel whispered. She was on her hands and knees behind him, leaning over, her hair grazing his shoulder.

"Trying to figure out the combination," he replied, continuing to carefully turn the knob, listening for a slight change in sound.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Rapunzel asked, tilting her head.

"Sure. Not today, but some day. Maybe you should go back to packing, however. This could take a while," he suggested. By Eugene's mental calculations, cracking into this safe wouldn't likely take very long at all, but their time was limited and her standing over his shoulder was slightly distracting.

"Okay!" she chirped cheerfully, heading back to her room. Eugene breathed the tiniest sigh of relief. It was tough breaking into something when someone was watching your every move, especially when that someone was the beautiful angel you were very likely in love with. After a few minutes of silence, Eugene managed to figure out the code. He carefully pulled the heavy safe door open, eyes skimming over the contents inside.

There was a large, black, plastic box in the back, shaped somewhat like a toolbox. A large folder that looked like it was stuffed with papers. A dusty-looking tome. Brimming with curiosity over these bizarre objects, Eugene first picked up the heavy folder. He flipped it open and started going through the documents. It was all about Gothel and her various modeling contracts. There was her passport, birth certificate, all sorts of things about her. But nothing about Rapunzel.

Frustrated, Eugene was about to set down the folder, when a small piece of paper fluttered out. It was a newspaper clipping, obviously pretty old, judging by the yellowed edges. It was only a few inches tall and wide, with a small headline claiming "Miracle Baby Born!" Underneath was a fuzzy-looking black and white photo of a smiling couple holding a newborn child with a shock of long, bright hair. The article was about a young mother who's mysterious in curable illness cleared up a few weeks before going into labor. The couple was now celebrating the birth of their first child. Her name was Rose. Her birthdate looked familiar. Pondering it for a moment he realized it was the same day as Rapunzel's birthday. Why would Gothel have something like this? Eugene tucked it carefully into his pocket. He could figure it out later.

Placing a stack of files back into the safe, he reached for the toolbox in the back. Opening it, he realized it reminded him more of a tackle box that one might use when they're fishing. Tiny drawers filled the box, meant for lures and bait and hooks and extra line. There was dozens of drawers, each just about two inches wide and one inch tall. They all had labels, with loopy handwriting claiming what was inside. Mugwort, Lembas Grass, and all sorts of other weird names that Eugene felt like he had heard before in fairy tales. He pulled open one of the drawers, finding a small plastic bag full of some sort of yellowish powder. Even from a distance he could smell the bitterness of it. He closed the drawer and started opening the others. They were all similar, each holding a small bag with a root or a powder or some leaves in them.

In the bottom right corner there was a drawer marked "Rapunzel". Cautiously, he pulled on the tiny handle, only to discover that the contents of this drawer were slightly different from the others. There were three things: a small, handwritten note, a folded-up polaroid photograph, and a lock of soft brown hair, carefully placed in a plastic bag. Eugene peeked at the picture first. It was some kind of flower, but Eugene wasn't sure which. He guessed it was some kind of lily, but that was all he could figure out. Flowers weren't really his area of expertise. He put the picture aside as he reached for the note. In the same loopy handwriting as everything else it said "Rapunzel: Last dose used 1994." That was all it said. So whatever this Rapunzel stuff was, Gothel had used it up eighteen years ago. He got an eerie feeling about it, so he simply closed up the entire box, and shoved it back into the safe. He didn't even want to deal with that creepy lock of hair. All that remained was the book.

Sighing, he reached for it, worried that it might crumble under his grasp. He gingerly flipped through the first few pages. They looked like recipes, but they called for weird ingredients. Some of the names he recognized from earlier when he had gone through the tiny drawers in the tackle box. He flipped to a dog-eared page. The top declared "Popularity Potion". These were definitely not just recipes. Another marked page. "Mind Control". Eugene shuddered slightly, turning the page. "Eternal Youth". He skimmed the entire page, his eyes catching on a name. Rapunzel. Beside it was a number: 608. Eugene quickly found the page and started reading.

"Rapunzel: The Miracle Flower.

Very rarely does one come across an ingredient more sought after than Rapunzel. It is often coveted by those who are terminally ill or seeking eternal youth. However, the age-defying effects of Rapunzel will wear off over time. The best way to harness the power of the Rapunzel is to feed the broth made by it to a dying mother during her pregnancy. The healing powers will be absorbed into the fetus, causing the birth of a 'Golden Child'. By singing a personalized song, the hair of the child will glow, releasing its youthful effects. These will also affect the child, healing all wounds and potentially keeping them alive forever. Some cautions are to be taken; the more the healing powers are used, the more often they must be used again. A dependent bond is quickly formed between user and the golden hair." Beneath the typed lettering was a handwritten note, which read "Be warned: cutting even a small strand of hair causes it to fade to its original intended color and lose all magic. Great consequences may occur should every piece be cut, even once."

Eugene reread the paragraph, his face paling. He tried to piece together the story. Gothel must have gotten terminally ill. When she discovered this, she got pregnant and saved herself with the last of her magic healing flower. This resulted in Rapunzel. This theory ran through his head, over and over, but something still felt off. He also didn't like imagining the possible supernatural powers that Gothel held, suggested by what he held in his hands that appeared to be some kind of spell book. Eugene pulled a small pocket knife from his jeans and used it to carefully sever the page from the book. He folded up the yellowed paper and tucked it into his pocket, next to the newspaper clipping. Suddenly he heard light footsteps running through the hall. He slammed the book shut and pushed it back into the safe, seconds before Rapunzel poked her head into the doorway.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, a sweet smile gracing her face. Eugene closed the safe and turned back to her.

"Nope. Just a bunch of papers about your mom. Nothing about you," he half-lied, giving her an apologetic smile. Rapunzel looked concerned for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"It's okay," Eugene insisted, "The papers weren't completely necessary. We can get you whatever you need."

"Well, I think I've got everything packed. Everything I really need anyway," she said, leaning against the doorway. Eugene nodded and got up, crossing the room to stand next to Rapunzel.

"You know what's funny?" he asked quietly, looking down at her soft lips and round green eyes. She shook her head, unable to speak.

"We haven't seen each other in _three months_, and I _still_ haven't kissed you since that night on the roof." With that, he leaned over and gently pressed his lips upon hers. They were met with enthusiasm, as Rapunzel kissed back. He could feel her smile. _Don't get carried away, Eugene_ he thought to himself, pulling away slowly.

"Come on, let's get outta here," he said, smirking. Rapunzel looked startled, as if she had been expecting more. They made it back to her room, where half a dozen canvas bags sat on the floor. Some had clothes, while others had books and painting supplies. One held a rather annoyed-looking cat and small bag of cat food. Eugene picked up most of the bags, leaving Rapunzel to take care of Pascal. They headed for the living room, Rapunzel lagging slightly. Eugene paused at the front door, turning to face her.

"Do you, er, need a moment?" he asked hesitantly. Rapunzel simply shook her head slowly.

"No," she whispered, "I'm done with this place." With that, she pushed past Eugene to open the front door. Admiring her assertiveness, but still slightly concerned, Eugene followed obediently behind, closing the door as he left the apartment. Rapunzel winced slightly at the sound, but she kept her head straight, stopping only to press the button for the elevator. They stood in silence, Eugene shifting from one foot to the other awkwardly. As much as he wanted to reach out and touch Rapunzel, his arms were heavily laden. He kept thinking about their brief, but passionate kiss earlier. _Oh well. Plenty of time for that later._ He kept his more sensual thoughts hidden deeper. There was always a twinge of guilt whenever his mind drew upon them. The elevator doors slid open, and the couple stepped in. Eugene laughed inwardly, remembering how he used to be deathly afraid of these things. Rapunzel caught the smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked in a curious tone. Eugene simply shook his head.

"Nothing," he said, still smiling.

"Oh really? It has nothing to do with elevators?" she asked innocently.

"I knew you had magic healing powers, but you can read minds now too?" he joked. It was wonderful to see her smiling, and he intended to keep that beautiful grin on her face. Rapunzel shifted slightly closer to him, their shoulders nearly touching. They reached the bottom floor and made a brisk walk to the car, avoiding the suspicious glances of the man at the front desk. Stepping through the automatic sliding doors, Rapunzel breathed in the fresh air. Well, fresh to her anyway. To Eugene it just smelled like the same old pollution he was used to. But he admired her enthusiasm. As soon as Eugene's car came into view, Rapunzel started walking faster. Eugene kept his pace and unlocked the car from a distance, watching as she pulled on the passenger door. He deposited her bags in the trunk, slamming in shut. By the time he had slipped into the driver's seat, Pascal had already started investigating this new territory. Surprisingly, he wasn't as fazed as Rapunzel had been when Eugene started up the car. He simply settled into Rapunzel's lap and took a nap. Eugene rolled his eyes, but continued prepping the car.

"So we're going to _your_ home?" Rapunzel asked nervously, her fingers running through Pascals's downy fur. Her long, blonde hair gathered in bunches between her back and the seat, a few random strands making their way to her lap.

"Yeah. I guess you could call it 'home'. Is it okay if I take you there?" he asked her cautiously. Rapunzel nodded, anxious to see what it was like. Catching a glimpse of her face, Eugene started wishing his apartment was a bit more exciting. Now she was just going to be disappointed when she saw what a dump it was. Well, maybe _dump_ wasn't the right word. Eugene was pretty good about keeping it clean. It was just _boring_. There was a brief silence in the car as they turned down another busy street. As they flew past half a dozen other vehicles, Rapunzel decided to break the silence.

"I know I don't really have much to give you in return for taking me in and all, but-"

"Don't worry about it. Besides, isn't this what people in love do?" Eugene answered quickly, instantly regretting his cheesy words. But Rapunzel seemed to appreciate them. She smiled and looked down at her lap.

"You love me, Eugene?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, I think so," he mumbled, concentrating on the road.

"Thank you, Eugene. No one's ever loved me before," she admitted. Eugene was about to disagree with her and bring up her mother, but then he realized that Rapunzel was probably right. There was a fine line between love and obsession.

"Well, you've always got me. And Pascal. Although to be honest, I'm not sure how much help he could be," Eugene joked, casting a sideways glance at the cat. Thankfully he was too deeply asleep to take notice of what Eugene had said.

"Anyway, I know I don't have much, but if there's anything I can do to help, I'll be there. I'm really good at cooking and cleaning," she offered whole-heartedly.

"I appreciate that, actually," Eugene said truthfully, "My place could probably use a woman's touch. Just as long as you don't 'girly up' the whole place." He took a quick peek at Rapunzel, watching as a tiny smile formed on her face.

"I'm really happy, Eugene. But also really sad, you know? I guess that sounds dumb and conflicted."

"Not dumb at all. Everybody gets like that sometimes," he assured her, hands gripping slightly harder on the wheel. They were getting closer to his apartment. Eugene didn't like admitting it to himself, but his stomach was tied up in knots. Just a week ago he was completely miserable, trying to fill up an empty heart with fake sentiments like women and alcohol and money. Now he had the only girl he really wanted. No one made him feel more real than she did.

Making one last turn, Eugene steered the car into the parking lot designated for a block of apartments. Rapunzel leaned against the window and peeked up, curious about these new buildings. They definitely weren't as tall as her old home, only reaching to three stories at the tallest, with concrete stairs leading up to different front porches.

"Sorry it's not very glamorous," Eugene half-attempted at apologizing, figuring that Rapunzel didn't care anyway.

"Oh no, it's fine! I just like seeing new places," she smiled. Eugene pulled into his usual spot. Taking a look up at his third story apartment, he suddenly remembered his scantily clad overnight guest from earlier. He also remembered her telling him she would call up a friend to pick her up. While it had been a couple hours, he wanted to make sure she still wasn't there. Just in case.

"Ah, you stay here for a minute," Eugene instructed, shutting off the car and pulling on the handle, "I gotta go make sure everything's ready inside." Rapunzel smiled in a bemused sort of way and stayed in her seat. Practically flying up the stairs, Eugene quickly unlocked his door and slipped inside. All seemed relatively in order. Kitchen was clean, living room looked okay, bathroom was good as always. With some hesitation, Eugene poked a head into the bedroom. He breathed a sigh of relief to find that there were no half-naked women in there, only a messy bed and some random laundry spilled across the floor. Working quickly, Eugene re-made the bed with some clean sheets to the best of his abilities and tossed the clothes from the floor into the laundry basket. Perfect.

Speeding down the stairs, Eugene rushed to the passenger door of his car. He pulled it open for Rapunzel, helping her out with his other hand. Giving her a winning smile, he then dashed to the trunk to grab her bags. Rapunzel gently pulled out the bag that held Pascal, holding him to her chest. Eugene was already halfway up the stairs by the time she had gathered her cat and her hair. He had never been this excited to show someone his home, and it certainly showed. Taking one careful step at a time, her hair dragging along after her, Rapunzel made her way up the stairs. She was slightly winded by the time she made it to the top, but Eugene was completely rested. She questioned if maybe he just had an incredible amount of stamina or if he had been waiting so long that he had been able to catch his breath. Juggling the bags in his arms, Eugene turned the knob to the front door and pushed it open.

"Come on in, Punzie," he welcomed, gesturing for her to go in first. She stepped in through the doorway, gazing across the front room. Eugene's apartment certainly wasn't very big, but it was a decent size for two people. The front door opened up into a small, tiled kitchen, which led into a modestly decorated living room area. A tiny hallway stood to the right of the living room, revealing a master bedroom and a bathroom. A small balcony jutted out from the living room, accessible by a sliding glass door. Rapunzel gently lowered her cat bag to the floor, letting Pascal hop out to inspect his new surroundings.

"Well?" Eugene asked impatiently, crossing his arms. He was somewhat nervous, but he was also trying his best not to show it. Rapunzel turned to him and grinned.

"Looks like home to me!" she chirped, slipping off her shoes to explore the house. She padded around the kitchen, opening cupboards and taking mental inventory of everything.

"Awful lot of junk food in here, Eugene," she remarked in a sassy tone.

"How would you know? I thought your mother wouldn't let you eat junk food."

"She doesn't. I mean didn't. But come on... Packaged brownies? Individually wrapped cupcakes? You know, stuff like this isn't that hard to make. And what's a Twinkie?" she asked, pulling out a box. She examined the unopened box, reading the description.

"Careful Blondie. Those stopped being made a couple weeks ago. For all we know that could be one of the last boxes on earth," he joked.

"Well, are you just going to keep them wrapped up forever? Personally, I wanna try one," she said, smiling at him. He sighed dramatically, taking the box from her hands and opening it. He tossed a little soft package at her, and she eagerly opened it. _Might as well have one myself_ he thought, pulling out another package and setting the box down on the counter. They each took a bite, Eugene carefully watching Rapunzel's reaction.

"Yeah, they're okay," she said nonchalantly, shrugging. Eugene caught the rare mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Okay? Just okay?" he asked in a pained voice, as if he had slaved away, baking these just for her. He put his Twinkie on the counter and moved closer to her by a few inches, closing up the space between them.

"What about this?" he asked, placing his left hand on her waist, "Is this okay?" Rapunzel nodded, placing her own snack on the counter. He set his right hand on her other hip.

"And this?" he asked quietly. Again, Rapunzel nodded slowly. He carefully brought his head down, leaning in closer. Their lips touched, and stayed locked, Eugene pulling her closer into him. His hands rested on top of her hips, keeping her body next to his. His kisses moved slowly from her lips to her neck, until he heard a tiny squeak. Finely tuned senses kicked in and let him know that this wasn't a _good_ squeak.

"Not okay?" he asked, pulling back slightly. Rapunzel bit her lip, scrunching her face. Blotches of pink flushed her rounded cheeks.

"Not yet," she admitted. She acted like she was waiting for him to yell or get angry or something. Instead, Eugene simply dropped his arms and gave her a quick, chaste kiss on the forehead.

"Okay, kid," he smiled, "Wanna see the rest of 'La Casa Eugene'?"

"You're not mad at me?"

"Why on Earth would I be mad at you?"

"Because you... Because I didn't... I mean-"

"Rapunzel, I want to let you take things at your own pace. I've got all the time in the world. And considering that I intend to spend it with you, my time is your time. So don't stress out so much. If it feels good, then good. If it doesn't, then we stop. Simple. Is that okay?" he offered whole-heartedly. Rapunzel nodded, reaching out to hold his hand. Eugene continued to give her a short tour of the rest of the apartment, showing her where she could find anything she needed. They finished the tour and ended up in the living room, Eugene proudly showing off his meager collection of DVDs. Rapunzel was especially delighted to see that none of them were cooking shows.

"Can we watch one?" she asked enthusiastically, her eyes skimming each title.

"Uh, sure. What do you feel like watching?"

"Something happy," she answered vaguely, now on the floor next to the stack, picking up individual boxes and studying them. Eugene racked his brain trying to remember if he owned any happy movies. It wasn't really his normal niche. Rapunzel was too busy reading the descriptions on each box to notice his pause.

"Er, well, why don't you look through all those and decide what you want to watch, and we can take it from there. I'll go make some snacks." With that, he turned back toward the kitchen, hoping that she'd find _something_ that would interest her. Then again, Rapunzel took interest in almost everything. He tried not to think about how he hadn't been able to show her the bedroom yet. Eventually she'd see it. Eugene already had plans to let her sleep there tonight. It was only right, after all.

Twenty minutes later, they were snuggled on the leather couch, a bowl of popcorn between them. Eugene had grabbed his comfiest bedding supplies and now he and Rapunzel were wrapped up in a heavy, gray blanket. She had picked out some period piece romance movie that one of Eugene's old girlfriends had left behind. He's probably only watched it once, but with Rapunzel in his arms, he didn't really care _what_ they watched. She was warm and soft, the satin of her dress grazing his arm. Her silky hair was draped over the back of the couch, piling up slightly on the floor. Pascal had taken up residence by their feet. Everything felt comfortable and right.

The day continued at a steady pace. They popped in a few more movies, keeping conversation to a minimum. It wasn't until around sunset that Eugene noticed Rapunzel's body was slightly tensed up. She was looking in the direction of the TV, but he could tell that she wasn't really paying attention.

"Hey, I know I ask this a lot, but are you okay?" he half-joked. Rapunzel jolted out of her thoughts and looked at him.

"Oh, um, yes. Yes, I'm fine. Just, thinking about stuff I suppose. I have a lot on my mind."

"Well, yeah, I would assume so. Anything specific you want to talk about?" Rapunzel looked up at a clock on the wall, and then back to Eugene, concern on her face. She refused to speak for a few seconds, as if she was mentally judging whether or not she should tell him.

"Mother is usually home by now. She's probably looking for me," she confided, looking somewhat uncomfortable, as if she thought her mother could hear her.

"Oh. If it helps, you're safe here with me. I doubt she knows who you're with and even if she does, she can't find my address. My office doesn't even know it," he assured her, "Besides, it's my job to keep you safe, and that's what I'm going to do."

"I thought your job was to report celebrity gossip," Rapunzel teased, lightening up slightly.

"Hey, that's only until tomorrow. Then I'm done. Did I ever tell you how much I dislike that job? Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you should do it. I hate spying on people and making them miserable. I like writing, but I don't want to write something that hurts people." Rapunzel marveled at his honest and unexpected answer. She quieted and settled down into the covers again, burrowing her body into his. Besides, she was starting to get tired, a fact that Eugene noticed pretty quickly.

"Hey, kid, when do you usually go to bed anyway?" he asked after jostling her slightly when she started dozing off.

"Around eight or nine," she mumbled softly, snuggling back into Eugene's arm. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost eight, but Rapunzel had had a long day, so it didn't surprise him that she was so tired.

"Come on, kid. Let's get you into bed," he said, pulling her up into his arms. She resisted slightly, groaning a little.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked sleepily, head bobbing gently and eyes fluttering.

"My bed," he responded hesitantly, not wanting her to get the wrong ideas, "I'll be on the couch out here." Rapunzel opened her eyes a bit more, focusing on Eugene's face and frowned at his proposition.

"But it's _your_ bed."

"Rapunzel, really. This is so stereotypical."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused, but slightly more awake.

"Okay, look, I know you don't really know a lot of stories, but I swear I've seen this argument half a dozen times. Good intentioned man tries to let the sweet, tired girl sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the couch. However, being a kind, but _stubborn_ woman, she refuses to let him sleep on the couch because it's his bed, not hers. The two argue, eventually reaching a decision. Generally, the woman convinces the man that the only way they'll both be happy is if they both sleep in the bed. Occasionally, sex or naked cuddling will ensue. Now, as lovely as that sounds, the last thing I want to do is unintentionally make you feel uncomfortable or like you owe me in some way. So, we're just going to skip the argument, I'm going to tuck you in, and then we're both going to bed." With that, Eugene lifted Rapunzel completely off the couch, blankets slipping off of her. She looked annoyed, but showed no intention of arguing. She was quiet while Eugene walked her into the bedroom, just like he had done only a few months previously. He took mental note that his metal framed bed post was no match for the elaborately draped canopy that had hung around Rapunzel's bed. Nevertheless, he tucked her in carefully as he had promised, hoping she was comfortable. Pascal had followed them in and now jumped onto the soft comforter, curling up near Rapunzel's head.

"Goodnight, Rapunzel," Eugene said, brushing a soft piece of blond hair from her face. Most of it was on top of the blanket, a shimmering gold bridge against the ocean of blue fabric. "If you need me, I'll just be right in the front room, okay?" Rapunzel nodded slightly, her movements restricted by the tightly tucked in blankets around her.

"Night night, Eugene. I'll see you in the morning," she whispered to him, closing her eyes. Eugene backed out of the room, shutting off the light and closing the door most of the way, leaving a two inch wide crack. It felt strange, actually taking care of someone. It wasn't something he normally did. He slipped quietly into the living room, shutting off the TV. It still felt too early to go to bed, but he didn't want to accidentally disturb Rapunzel. He didn't know if she was a light sleeper, a heavy sleeper, or somewhere in between. So he turned off most of the lights in the apartment, leaving on only a small lamp on the end table next to the couch. He pulled a book off of the table, and settled himself into his makeshift bed. It was some popular fantasy book that someone had given him as a gift. It had been such a long time since he'd actually read purely for enjoyment, so he gave it a shot.

It took less than thirty pages before he had started drifting off to sleep, book held loosely in his right hand, left arm behind his head. Suddenly, he jolted awake, the sensation of falling surrounding his body. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep, as it could have been anywhere from a few seconds to an hour. Checking the clock on the wall, he confirmed that his slumber was brief- only a minute. Popping a stray piece of paper in his book to mark the pages, Eugene stood up and stretched. Sure, he was more tired than he originally thought, but at the same time he felt like he had to stay awake and keep watch. After patrolling the room a few times and feeling a bit silly, he chided himself for being so paranoid and decided it would be best if he got some sleep. Lazy thoughts circulated his head as he began to get undressed. He half-hoped Rapunzel would stumble in and see him like this, but the image of an almost naked man would probably traumatize her. Finally down to just his boxer briefs, Eugene felt the warm blankets beckoning him, and he curled up on the leather couch, somewhat regretting his furniture buying decision. While leather was stylish and stereotypical for a bachelor, it wasn't always the most comfortable. Reaching up, he flicked off the lamp and returned to his reclining position.

Tomorrow was a very big day. He was going to quit his job, drop his lease, and run off with the most amazing girl in the world. As tedious as explaining things to her all the time was, he was kind of looking forward to teaching her about the ways of the world. It felt good to be depended on and needed. Most nights ended with him thinking about Rapunzel, even just a little. The only difference was that all the other nights, she was never this close. He slept soundly, knowing that she was finally safe with him.

* * *

Hey, hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's one of my longest yet, that's why it took a little extra time to crank out. Also, as a bonus, I've proofread all my previous chapters and updated most, if not all, the spelling and grammatical errors. Hopefully this chapter doesn't have too many, as I was so excited to publish it that I only read through it once. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section. They really fuel my writing tank!


	9. Chapter 8

If there was one thing Eugene held in great esteem, it was a cup of coffee. He was currently enjoying a cup in the employee lounge, stalling his time. It always seemed so easy for the people on TV. They'd just go up to their boss and say "I have something more important that I need to do, so I'm giving you my formal resignation," or if they were really pissed off they'd say something along the lines of "I've had it with working here! I quit!" These were the kinds of things Eugene thought he should be saying, and yet he found himself biding his time with a cup of coffee. He would work up the courage soon. Confrontations just weren't really his thing. But he had a goal. He promised Rapunzel he would quit today so they could leave town tomorrow.

_Rapunzel… I wonder how she's doing home alone. I feel bad that I couldn't take her to work with me. I bet everyone here would love her, actually._

With a sigh, he stood up, crossing the room to a sink in the corner. He emptied out the paltry remains of his coffee and started rinsing out his mug. _No more stalling._ After finishing his cleaning, he slowly made his way back to his cubicle. It was in a small cluster, three others attached to it. He hadn't really gotten to know most of his coworkers, as most of them didn't exactly welcome him with open arms. Nabbing a huge story like he did was the main reason for their jealousy. After a few weeks, Eugene stopped making the effort to please everyone and just kept to himself, continuing on with mediocre and predictable stories of celebrity scandal. He hated it.

Setting his mug down, Eugene lingered slightly around his seat, as if he was trying to decide whether he wanted to sit down and waste more time, or if he was going to actually get something done. He didn't have to consider it long, as a few seconds later he heard the call of his boss.

"Rider! My office! Now, please!" There in the back of the room stood his boss, looking as grouchy as he always did. Eugene gave him his most charming smile, and then attempted to walk over as normally as he could. _I hope Rapunzel's at least having a better day than I am._

* * *

Rapunzel _was,_ in fact, having a better day than Eugene. She was excited to explore this new home, even if it wasn't very big. She felt a little disappointed as she looked out the kitchen window to the dull, asphalt covered parking lot. Eugene hadn't exactly forbidden her from going outside. He just suggested that it wouldn't be a very good idea. Rapunzel was optimistic as ever, certain she would find something fun to do inside. Eugene said he'd probably be home by six in the evening at the latest, and that wasn't too long away. Rapunzel had kept herself busy most of the morning by snooping around the apartment. She saw nothing wrong with what she was doing, as no one had ever taught her how to behave in someone else's home. Back at Mother's apartment, the only place she wasn't allowed was Mother's office, and Eugene hadn't exactly _forbidden_ anywhere. Now it was noon, and she was busy making a list of the various treasures she had found that day, intent on asking Eugene about each one. She was particularly fascinated by the computer that sat in a mostly abandoned corner of the living room. Mother had had a similar device in her office, but Rapunzel had never mustered up enough courage to ask what it was. Eugene had only mentioned it briefly this morning before he had left. He told her that if she needed to use it, the password was "duckling". Despite the silly password, Rapunzel was a little bit nervous about the actual device. Whenever she touched one of the buttons with a letter on it, the screen lit up bright blue and the whole thing started making this whirring noise. It frightened her, and she found that it was best if she kept her distance from this "computer" thing. Besides, there were other far more interesting things in the apartment. Pascal had already finished searching the apartment yesterday, but to Rapunzel, everything was new.

In the kitchen she had found new kinds of food she'd never heard of. Chocolate was a somewhat rare delicacy back at her home, but Eugene kept bricks of it. She was careful not to eat herself silly, knowing that her stomach was probably sensitive to sugar after a lifetime of minimally spiced foods. After sampling a few of the things in the cupboard, she carefully arranged everything alphabetically, eating up a few minutes. The fridge was organized next, then the pantry. By the time she had finished, the clock read half past noon. Annoyed by how slowly time was passing, Rapunzel searched for more things to do. Her eyes caught on the phone. Eugene had left his telephone number for his work, but she didn't want to bother him. He was probably busy. So, Rapunzel made her way to the bedroom.

She felt a slight nagging sense of guilt as she opened up drawers here and there and peeked under the bed. But then she reminded herself about how Eugene had done the same when he first came to her home, and she felt a little less bad. It wasn't like Eugene would hide anything from her anyway. She picked up some of the random knick-knacks he had, reminded of the same little snow globes and ceramic statues her mother would pick up for her at the airports of the glamorous countries she used to visit. Rapunzel always wondered if it really snowed in England and France and Egypt. Maybe one day she'd find out for herself. In the drawer of Eugene's bedside table, Rapunzel found a couple of new objects. There were about a dozen of these flat, two inch squares that felt like there was something thin and slippery inside. Rapunzel set one aside to ask Eugene about it later. A half-empty bottle with a dark orange liquid in it splashing around. Rapunzel took a small whiff of it, but set it back down after discovering how strongly it smelled. It looked sort of like some of the bottles she'd seen before on her cooking shows, but she wasn't completely sure. So she picked up the next item. It was a little red and white box, with slim orange and white tubes. Rapunzel was annoyed with how little she understood of all these things, feeling very naïve and like a child. Gathering them up, she placed them on the kitchen table, where a growing pile of curious items sat. Still unsatisfied with her search, she returned to the bedroom and decided to poke around some more.

Rapunzel had never seen men's clothing up close before, and she took great interest in unfolding and refolding the shirts and pants and tiny, thin shorts she found in Eugene's dresser. She marveled at how much bigger his shoes were compared to hers. In a state of curiosity, she tried on a few of the smaller clothes that she found in his dresser, but she wasn't very pleased. They looked better on Eugene than they did on her. There were clothes in a laundry basket as well, with no sign of a washing machine anywhere. She'd have to ask Eugene about that when he got back home. They were all tossed randomly in the basket, and Rapunzel decided to organize the mess of dirty clothes. While she was folding a pair of jeans, she noticed a slight stiffness coming from the pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out a few folded up pieces of paper, both dry and old-looking. She set the pants aside and carefully unfolded the thinner paper. It was a gray photo of a happy looking family, with a short paragraph written below. Rapunzel ignored the writing and stared at the two parents and the new baby. She hadn't seen a lot of babies before, and never any that were this young. The way the parents stared at her with love in their eyes fascinated Rapunzel to no end. Eventually her eyes briefly scanned the writing below, learning the name of this baby. Rose. It was a pretty name.

Rapunzel set down the photo without reading the rest and picked up the other piece of paper. It was old and crumbly. She unfolded it carefully. This one only had words. She poured over them carefully, trembling more and more as she read them. She reread the piece of paper over and over, trying to grasp what it was saying. Mother always told her she was simply blessed with her powers; she had never said that they were _intentional_. But if this note was to be believed, then Rapunzel's hair was not an accident. Her curiosity was also piqued when she read the part about staying alive forever. She had never really thought about her own mortality, but it made sense. She wasn't really sure how she felt about staying alive forever. It might get kind of lonely if there was no one else to share it with. Conflicting thoughts bouncing in her skull, she tried desperately to come up with a solution that didn't persecute her mother, but found it increasingly difficult. _Perhaps she was sick while she was pregnant and ate the flower without knowing what would happen. Maybe when I came along she researched it and found out the truth._

The idea didn't work out quite right in her head, problems pointing themselves out with every sentence she read. If this flower was so rare, it would be difficult for someone to unknowingly consume it. Her Mother must have known about the magical properties. Did she purposely get sick knowing that this would happen? Rapunzel didn't like reading the page, an uneasiness settling in her stomach. Her mother wasn't always a nice person, but she was her mother, wasn't she? She set the paper down, refusing to think about it. _Where did Eugene find this anyway? _She looked back at the happy family on the newspaper clipping again. She wished her life was more like that. That baby probably never had to worry about her mother hiding her away or using her magic hair to stay young forever. _Oh, who am I kidding? I sound ridiculous. I seriously doubt anyone else has ever been in my position._ She glanced down at the photograph again, fingering the soft newspaper, yellowed with age. The paragraph waited below the picture, egging her on to read it. She had only caught the name "Rose" before her attention had been diverted. A feeling of apprehension grew in the pit of her stomach, as Rapunzel drew the clipping closer to her face. Trembling, she read the paragraph, key phrases and words catching her attention.

_Blonde-haired, green-eyed…_

_Terminally ill…_

_Miracle…_

But above all, the date stood out the most. The baby's birthday, _her _birthday. A tiny idea formed in the back of Rapunzel's head, becoming louder and louder as every second passed.

_Maybe that's you._

No.

_Maybe you're the "Miracle Child"._

I'm not.

_You could be. Blonde hair, terminal illness mysteriously cleared, same birthday._

"No! I'm not that baby! My name is Rapunzel Gothel, not Rose!" she shouted, clearing away the persistent voice in her head. The rest of the apartment remained silent as well, as Rapunzel regained her composure. She attempted to breathe in and out slowly, processing the information that had come to light in the last five minutes. Above everything else, she wondered where Eugene had found the two pieces of paper. She shoved them into a pocket in her dress for later. A peek at the clock on the wall indicated that he wouldn't be home for another few hours. So, mentally exhausted, Rapunzel climbed into his soft bed and proceeded to take a nap, hoping that Eugene could help her clear up everything when he got home.

* * *

Maxine was feeling somewhat conflicted. She had given her mystery client all the information she had on Flynn Rider yesterday, but something about the meeting felt _off._ She still didn't like that the other woman had never revealed her name or face. Sure, she had paid her better than most of her clients did, but Maxine couldn't help but feel like the extra cash was for her silence. Most cases she dealt with involved suspicious lovers or overprotective parents, and her client didn't particularly strike her as either of those.

Maxine had given her Flynn's address, phone number, and license plate number. All the information needed to track him down. She just couldn't wrap her mind around _why_ her client wanted to find him so badly. Maxine tried not to look too in-depth when it came to her cases, but this one struck her as too suspicious to ignore. After all, Flynn didn't seem like such a bad guy. Cocky and a little rude, sure, but not _bad_. Guilt loomed over Maxine's head as she imagined him getting hurt. It would be all her fault. And what of the girl named Rapunzel? What would happen to her? How did she tie into all of this? Maxine hated questions that she couldn't answer, and when she was determined to find an explanation, nothing stood in her way. She grabbed the keys to her motorcycle and left her building, ready to get to the bottom of everything, starting off with Flynn Rider.

"Do you know why I called you into my office, Flynn?" an ominous voice growled. Eugene was standing awkwardly in front of an enormous, dark-wooded desk. His boss was facing the wrong direction, choosing to stare at the wall instead of his employee. This only served to further increase Eugene's anxiety about the whole ordeal.

"Ah, no sir, I don't know why," he answered, somewhat timidly. Despite all his mountains of charm and wit, he had a problem with people who were more superior than he was. It dated back all the way to the orphanage, when he refused to talk to the adults that ran the place, although he could never figure out why. He just had issues with authority.

"I called you in here because your writing has been pretty awful lately," the boss said frankly, now turning in his chair to face Eugene. He had a shock of copper colored hair on top of his head and down the sides of his face. He towered over Eugene when standing up, a fact of which both parties were well-aware. Eugene was actually quite grateful that his boss had made the decision to stay seated.

"I'm sorry you think that, sir," he replied vacantly, meeting his cold stare with a look of vagueness. The boss sneered, and looked down at his desk to a stack of papers.

"You know what these are, Rider?"

"Well, they all say 'resume' at the top, so I would assume that's what they are."

"Don't get fresh with me, son. These are all prospective employees. Any one of these people could be taking _your_ job. Do you understand what I mean _now_?" Eugene swallowed hard, before remembering what he was planning on doing that day anyway. So he mustered up some courage and played it cool.

"I see why you _really _called me in here, Boss. You want me to help you find my replacement, right? Well, sure, I think I can give you a hand with that." Eugene pulled up a chair and sat across from his dumbstruck employer, picking up resumes and skimming through them.

"Not enough experience, _too_ much experience, too old, too young, misspelled the word 'perceive'… Honestly, Boss, where are you finding these guys?" Setting the papers aside, Eugene leaned back in the chair, a slightly smug smile on his face.

"You don't look so good, Boss. You sure you're okay? You're probably just disappointed because all these replacements are terrible, huh? That's okay, I'm sure you'll find someone when I'm gone."

"G-g-gone?" his boss stammered slightly, his face paling. Obviously he didn't plan on actually firing Eugene, just rough him up a little to get him to work harder. It was clear on his face, and Eugene guessed his plan immediately.

"Look, I know you want the satisfaction of firing me, but a few circumstances have popped up recently, and I won't be able to work here any longer. Sorry I can't give you a bigger notice, but it's sort of urgent. So if you don't mind, I'll be cleaning out my desk and leaving today. But I would like to thank you for the opportunity you've given me." Eugene stood up, and reached out to shake hands, but was met with air. Shrugging, he began to walk toward the door. It wasn't until his hand was on the knob that his boss spoke up.

"Y-y-you can't just _quit_! No one's ever _quit_ before!" he yelled, slamming a fist on his desk.

"Sorry, sir. But I've got much bigger dreams than this place can imagine," Eugene replied, leaving the room. He walked quickly to his desk, ignoring the cumulative stare of the entire office. He opened his desk drawer, grabbing his few possessions and placing them in a shallow, empty box he had found earlier. His eyes caught on the framed photo of him and Rapunzel that he had kept in the back of his drawer. He promised her he would put it on his desk so he could look at it every day, but it had become too painful to even glance at it. He set it down gently in the box, a smile on his face. Then, waking up his computer with a shake of the mouse, he cleared his hard drive. He strode out of the office, only glancing back once to see a mixed array of faces, ranging from shock to slight disappointment to joy. He made it out into the parking lot, still walking confidently to his car. After sitting down and starting up the engine, he peeked at the dashboard clock. It was the early afternoon, still early enough to get home to Rapunzel. _Maybe I should have just walked in and quit at the beginning of the day. It wasn't that hard, after all._ He pulled out of the parking lot, a beautiful blonde girl on his mind. What he didn't know, was that there were _two_ beautiful blondes waiting for him at home, both of which wanted explanations.

* * *

Gothel sat quietly in her private car, a black, unnoticeable thing. She had dismissed her private driver for the day, content on taking care of business herself. The car was parked outside one of the entrances to Flynn Rider's apartment complex, giving her a decent view of his building. She clutched her thick, dark maroon sweater closer to herself in an attempt to stay warm. Perfectly spiraled ebony curls hung loosely in her face, slowly wilting and fading to a soft silvery-gray. Rapunzel had been missing since last night, and the quickly-aging effects were already beginning to show. If she didn't get to Rapunzel within the next two or three days, Gothel would be reduced to a pile of ash. This thought dwelled unpleasantly in her head. She had to take action soon.

Her plan was simple. She knew the car that Flynn drove, she knew what he looked like, and she had an estimate of what time he would get home. Now all she had to do was convince Rapunzel to come home before that awful man came back.

Or she could just kill him. Still, Rapunzel would probably respond better to words. Yet the idea of murdering the man who ruined her career and kidnapped her flower was _so_ enticing. _Perhaps I could have both_ she thought, still staring out the car windshield.

* * *

Rapunzel awoke to a knock at the front door. Moaning, she pulled herself out of the soft bed. The pillow smelled like Eugene. She smoothed down the front of her dress and walked to the door. Mother always told her to never answer the door if someone knocked, but Mother wasn't here. Rapunzel found the tiny peep-hole in the door and looked through. Standing on the front porch was a pretty, blonde lady, with a look of impatience painted across her face. The cheery yellow tank top seemed to contrast her sour expression. Cautiously, Rapunzel opened the door a few inches.

"Yes?" she asked, peeking out at the stranger. The woman tried to see Rapunzel more clearly, tilting her head to catch a better glimpse of her.

"Hi, I'm looking Flynn," she said shortly.

"Oh, he's uh, he's not here right now. But I can tell him you came by if you like," Rapunzel explained, now curious about who this woman was. She knew Eugene had had a lot of girlfriends, maybe this was one of them?

"It's kind of important, actually. When is he coming home?" the woman demanded to know. Rapunzel was taken aback by her forcefulness.

"I-I-I don't know, actually. In a few hours, at the latest," she said honestly. The woman wasn't satisfied with this answer.

"Then I guess I'll just have to wait here until he gets back." With that, the woman pushed the door open, walking past Rapunzel and settling at a chair by the kitchen table.

"Hey!" Rapunzel cried, hurrying to close the door and catch up with the woman. They each took a good look at each other for the first time.

"Wait a minute, I know you," the blonde woman said, smiling a little bit, "You're Rapunzel."

"How do you know who I am?" Rapunzel stammered, now afraid of this woman. She slowly inched towards the phone, ready to call Eugene if something happened.

"Well, it's sort of a weird story. I'm Maxine, by the way."

"I'm Rapunzel. But apparently you already knew that."

"Uh, I don't tell a lot of people about this, but I suppose it's sort of a special situation. I'm a private investigator. Someone hired me about a week ago to spy on this Flynn Rider guy, and specifically to see if I could link him at all to this girl named Rapunzel. But, I don't know... Something about it felt _off_. Not right. I wanted to ask Flynn if there was anyone who might have it out for him. And how you fit into all of this. The whole case just feels bad."

Rapunzel sat thoughtfully for a few moments. Mother was behind this, of course. No one else knew about her and Eugene.

"Hey, girl, you okay?" Maxine asked, her eyes trained on Rapunzel's serious expression.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she said dismissively. Mother wanted to know for sure if she had met Eugene. Another thought came to her suddenly.

"Did you tell this other person where Eugene lives?" Rapunzel asked sharply.

"Eugene? Who's Eugene?" Maxine frowned.

"Flynn. His real name is Eugene. Did you tell this other person you work for where he lives?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, she asked for that information specifically. That's why I'm here. I wanted to make sure he was okay."

"This could be trouble," Rapunzel muttered. Mother knew where Eugene lived now, which meant she knew where Rapunzel was too.

"Maxine? What did your client look like?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "She always hid her face and hair. She had a sort of deep voice. Really... Womanly-shaped, I guess. Sorry, but there's not much else to tell. We'd meet in a busy area, she'd hand me some cash, and I'd hand her a report of what I learned, and that was that."

"I see," Rapunzel said thoughtfully. She walked towards the kitchen and peeked out the window that overlooked the apartment complex plaza. Nothing looked too suspicious or out of place. She bit the tip of her fingernail and turned away from the window back to Maxine.

"Who are you, anyway?" Maxine asked quietly, "Why are you so important to this woman? And who is she?"

"That's a pretty long story, actually. One that I've only told to Eugene."

"Well, we might have a while before he gets home. So why don't you start from the beginning?"

* * *

"And now I'm here. I'm confused, I think my Mother is trying to use me for her own good, and I just want to get out of here and be free." Rapunzel sat at the kitchen table, head in her hands, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of her. Maxine sat across from her, listening patiently to her story, never interrupting.

"That's quite the tale," she finally said in a calm voice, taking a sip from her mug of coffee.

"You don't believe me?"

"It's sort of hard to believe. I mean, magical healing hair, never leaving your apartment, being the daughter of Sharon Gothel. It's a lot to take in," she said mildly, eyeing Rapunzel's river of hair.

"You wanna see it, don't you?" Rapunzel sighed, pulling her hair in front of her.

"You don't have to," Maxine hurried to say, sensing Rapunzel's uncomfortableness. But Rapunzel had already started singing, her hair glowing gently. Maxine's eyes widened, as she watched. She reached a tentative hand out and touched the glowing hair, feeling a slight tingle. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and gave her a sense of calmness. As Rapunzel's song came to an end, her hair faded back to its original color. She leaned back in her chair, biting her lip.

"Well?" Rapunzel asked tentatively, "The most unbelievable part of my story has been proven true. So you see? I'm not lying, Max." Maxine still clutched a small strand of hair, switching her gaze between the soft, blonde hair and Rapunzel's anxious expression.

"I believe you, Rapunzel," Maxine finally said, setting the hair back down, "It's sort of hard not to, after what you just showed me. It gives your mother a reason to go after Flynn. The story matches up. It's hard to believe, but I'm not one to just ignore what's in front of my own eyes."

"Thank you, Max!" Rapunzel gushed, rushing forward and wrapping her in a hug. Maxine hugged her back, smiling a tiny bit. She didn't have many friends, as most people were somewhat intimidated by her manner, but it was nice to have someone smile at her. No one ever called her "Max" either. The two girls continued to chat a little bit, Rapunzel breaking Maxine down more and more with her natural charm. She told her about living in solitude and going to Disneyland and meeting Eugene. Maxine told her about sneaking around and wearing disguises and some of her strangest cases. She tactfully left out details of how she found out where Flynn lived.

Their talk was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing.

"I'll get it!" Rapunzel volunteered, "It might be Eugene." She crossed the room and picked up the phone, cheerfully greeting the caller. Maxine watched as her smile dropped like a ton of bricks, and her brow became knitted with worry. Alarmed, Maxine stood up and walked over to Rapunzel.

"Yes. Yes I understand. I'll be there. Goodbye," Rapunzel said robotically into the phone, finally putting it down.

"Rapunzel, who was it? What's wrong?" she asked forcefully, grabbing Rapunzel by each shoulder.

"Mother. It was Mother," she whispered, eyes fixed on the floor.

"Rapunzel, you have to tell me what she wants. What did she say to you?"

"She has Eugene. They're waiting in her car outside the apartment complex," Rapunzel responded robotically.

"Is he okay? What else did she say?"

"I need to go back home with her or else Eugene will die. She's waiting outside." Rapunzel was pale, her eyes welling up, turning a soft shade of red. Maxine remained calm, rubbing her hands up and down Rapunzel's arms in an attempt to calm her.

"Look, it's going to be okay. Did she mention me? Does she know I'm here?"

"I-I-I don't think so," Rapunzel responded, confused.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You'll go with her, try to stall her as long as you can. Where do you live?"

"I don't know the address," Rapunzel admitted miserably, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Maxine said in a calming voice, "Try to remember everything you can about outside your apartment. What it looked like, what other kinds of buildings there are, how high up it is." So, Rapunzel quickly rattled off everything she knew about the apartment and its surrounding area. Maxine nodded, painting a mental picture.

"Alright, I know where you're at. Now look, I'm going to come back and get you, I promise. I'll bring as many friends as I can to help. Just go with your mother for now, cooperate, and try not to let anyone get hurt. Don't let her take you away from that building. Do you understand, Rapunzel?" Rapunzel nodded hurriedly, then paused.

"What about Pascal?" she asked, a look of horror on her face. Maxine groaned inwardly as the cat strolled into the kitchen, unaware of the current crisis.

"Leave him here, he'll be safe. If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of him, I promise. Now you need to hurry up and go, before your mother gets suspicious," she said, pushing Rapunzel towards the door. Reluctantly, Rapunzel pulled the front door open.

"Remember, don't look back. You've never met me. I wasn't here. Go, and be careful," Maxine warned one last time as Rapunzel shut the door. Maxine listened for the girl's quick footsteps down the concrete steps and the flapping of her shoes as she ran to her mother's car. The opening and closing of a car door. Someone revving up the engine. At last, the car was gone from the parking lot. Maxine grabbed her purse and pulled out her keys. She stole a look at Pascal, who looked only slightly concerned now that his human companion was gone.

"It's okay, kitty. We'll figure this out," Maxine told him as she walked out the front door. Within a minute, she was on her motorcycle and peeling out of the parking lot.

* * *

Rapunzel approached the black car in front of Eugene's building, her hands gripped into tiny fists. She was afraid, but trying her best not to show it. Mother sat in the driver's seat, her now aged eyes staring at Rapunzel greedily. The window to the passenger side rolled down as Rapunzel drew nearer.

"Get in, Flower," her mother growled. Rapunzel obeyed, sitting in the front passenger's seat. Her eyes caught a sleeping form in the backseat, and she gasped. There was Eugene, spread across the backseat. He was unconscious, looking almost peaceful. Rapunzel was anything _but_ peaceful.

"What did you do to him?" she practically screeched as her mother pulled out of the parking lot. Keeping her cool, Gothel answered her daughter's question.

"Sleeping spell, dear. He'll be fine. Personally, it's not good for me to use magic, but sometimes it's necessary." Gothel briefly peeked at her reflection in the rear view mirror, noticing the wrinkles under her eyes. Her hair was fraying at the ends as well.

"What are you going to do to him?" Rapunzel asked quietly.

"Why, nothing, darling. As long as you cooperate, that is. We're going home to gather the rest of our things, and then we're headed to where no one can ever find you. If all goes well, I'll let him go before we leave town. But you need to promise me you will not try to leave me again." Gothel waited expectantly as Rapunzel thought to herself. Was Mother just trying to trick her once more?

"Yes, Mother," she finally answered, slightly relieved. All she cared about was Eugene's safety, even if it meant she'd never see him again. Gothel continued to drive the car at a slightly alarming pace, her adrenaline rushing now that Rapunzel was near. She resisted the urge to ask her to sing for her, just for that little boost of energy it would give her.

"Dear, I don't think you realized what a horrible idea this was when you ran from home," she began, ready to convince Rapunzel any way that she could of how dangerous the world was. Rapunzel remained silent, locking her eyes on the road ahead of them. Gothel simply continued nagging her.

"Do you honestly think he would have stayed with you? I can promise you that he's been with probably half a dozen women since you first met him. All men are rotten and evil, only after one thing." Mother had said this before, but never seemed to want to tell Rapunzel what that "one thing" was.

"I bet my father wasn't evil," Rapunzel retorted, turning her face from her mother. She still hadn't forgotten those pieces of paper from earlier, and she began reconsidering her early theory of whether or not Gothel was her real mother.

"You will keep your mouth shut about your father!" Gothel shouted, slamming on the brakes just in time for a red light. Rapunzel yelped as the car came to a sudden halt. She peeked back into the backseat, finding it remarkable that Eugene was still asleep. Mother must have put some powerful spell on him. She didn't know that Mother could do magic in the first place, a fact that she was still dealing with. The rest of the car ride was quiet, Gothel driving furiously to their towering home. She parked the car in a reserved spot near the back of the building.

"I really hate using so much magic," she sighed, taking another look at her drooping cheeks in the mirror. She turned around, pointing at Eugene for a second. He sat up, eyes still closed, apparently still asleep. Rapunzel bit her lip and resisted the urge to reach out to him. Gothel got out of the car and motioned for Rapunzel to do the same. Rapunzel obeyed, and watched in wonder as Eugene exited the car and stood alongside her mother. The three walked - or in Eugene's case, stumbled - to the back entrance of the building. Gothel unlocked a heavy metal door, which opened into a tiny room with a pair of elevator doors on the opposite side. Gothel pressed a button requesting the elevator, and the trio stepped inside when it arrived. It wasn't the same elevator that Rapunzel had taken so many times with Eugene. She wondered where it would lead. As if reading her thoughts, Gothel answered.

"I had this elevator privately installed when we moved in here. You were still just a small child, maybe two or three. It allows me to leave and enter the apartment discreetly. It's a shame I won't be able to use it any longer, seeing as we're moving," she said, glaring over at Rapunzel. The elevator doors opened, and the group stepped out into another tiny room. Gothel pushed open the door on the other side, revealing that they were in her office. _So that's why it was off-limits!_ Rapunzel thought, fascinated that she had never known. Gothel led them into the living room, where Eugene promptly laid on the couch and continued sleeping, as if the last five minutes hadn't happened at all. Rapunzel would have found it comical, if the whole situation wasn't so frightening.

"What are we doing now?" she asked, as her mother pulled out her cell phone and began pacing the room. Rapunzel stood protectively over Eugene.

"We're going away, Rapunzel. I'm going to call for a helicopter to take us far away from here."

"To where?"

"That's none of your concern!" Gothel barked, glaring over at Rapunzel. She sighed, reaching out towards her daughter.

"Just know that you'll be safe, Rapunzel. That's all that matters, my flower. That you're safe," she said in a much softer tone, now embracing Rapunzel and stroking her delicate blonde hair.

"Why do you call me that?" Rapunzel asked quietly, refusing to return her mother's hug. Gothel looked at her confused.

"'Flower'? Why, it's just a nickname, that's all," she said quickly, backing away slightly. Rapunzel didn't buy a single second of the act.

"I know why my hair is magical, Mother. I found this," she said louder, pulling out the faded piece of paper. Gothel stepped back slightly, the surprised expression on her face betraying her.

"W-where did y-" she started, but was interrupted by Rapunzel, who was now slowly working into a rage.

"And who are _these_ people, Mother?" she yelled, pulling out the newspaper clipping. Gothel's already pale face drained as if she had seen a ghost.

"That's just a… they're just a few old friends of mine," she said quickly, reaching out to take the article. Rapunzel snatched back her hand just in time.

"Tell me the truth, for once. Who are they? Because I've got this little voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me that _I'm_ that baby in the picture, and that _that's_ my real mother." Her words were biting, and she knew that there was no turning back. Whether Gothel was her real mother or not, she acted unforgivably, and Rapunzel knew that she would never be a mother to her. She didn't know what was in store for her future. She didn't know if Maxine would come through or if Eugene would wake up. But she wanted to know the truth. It was the _least_ she deserved. Gothel simply stared at her, astounded by this new, strong presence. She gave it one last shot.

"But dear, I _am_ your mother," she said soothingly, "Haven't I always been here for you, watching over you and keeping you safe? It's my fault this horrible man entered your life. If I had kept better watch over the apartment, he never would have met you and things would be as they were. Don't you remember how happy it was? Please, why would you _want_ to trade in your nice, safe life for one of unpredictability where other people are constantly hurting you or using you?"

"The only one hurting me and using me is _you_!" Rapunzel yelled, turning towards the kitchen. She was done. She had given Gothel a chance to be honest and good, but she had simply turned it around to her manipulation.

"Now Rapunzel, you're being ridiculous!" Gothel shouted, following her "daughter". Rapunzel was facing the kitchen sink, the last light of the Anaheim sunset streaming in through the window above. Her hair captured the light, making it glow like gold.

"Why can't you just tell me the truth?" she whispered, barely audible, "I've learned so much in the past few months, and you still lie to me. What can you possibly gain from it? Who _are_ you? Why am I here?" Rapunzel waited for an answer, any answer. The two stood in silence, Gothel unsure of how to answer. Suddenly, Rapunzel turned around, grasping a pair of heavy shears in her hand that she had found on the kitchen counter, posed threateningly over as much hair as she could hold in a single hand. Gothel quickly reached for her, but Rapunzel backed away.

"I don't know what happens exactly if I cut this off, but I bet it isn't good," she said in an even tone, backing away slowly. Gothel watched, but didn't move, for fear that Rapunzel might make act suddenly.

"I'm going to give you the chance to leave us alone," Rapunzel said, now near the couch where Eugene lay. "Just wake him up, and we'll leave. I'll never cut my hair, but you won't be using it any longer." Her voice wavered only slightly as she stood next to Eugene's sleeping form. Gothel began her routine of tough mothering, and with a smug grin she answered.

"I can't wake him up. I never planned on waking him up in the first place. That sleeping curse is as good as permanent. You can threaten me all you like, dear. But you won't be leaving with him today." Rapunzel's face contorted in horror as Gothel's words fell upon her ears.

"Y-you're lying," Rapunzel said, refusing to believe the slowly aging woman in front of her. She hesitated a moment, then brought the scissors up closer to her hair.

"Then there's no point any more. If I don't have my hair, then there's no reason for you to keep me around," Rapunzel said, hoping that Gothel was lying and she could call her bluff.

"No!" Gothel shrieked, reaching out to Rapunzel, who backed away again.

"Then fix him!"

"I can't! I'm not lying about this, Rapunzel!"

Rapunzel stood quietly, contemplating her situation. What would Eugene want her to do? Anything to get her away from Gothel. He wouldn't want her to simply comply and be miserable. In any case, Eugene wouldn't be in either future. Rapunzel's hand trembled, the shears getting heavier as each second went by. She looked helplessly over at Eugene, as Gothel stared on, taking tiny steps towards her golden child. Rapunzel shifted her attentions to the slowly approaching woman, and backed away.

"Don't come any closer," she said in the threatening voice, holding up the scissors once more. But her choice was already made.

This is my only chance at freedom.

With two sharp snips, over nine feet of hair fell to the floor. Gothel screamed as the blonde hair drained of color, fading to a dull brown. Rapunzel's own now-short hair was brown as well. Gothel, who had already been aging faster than usual throughout the day began experiencing horrible side effects.

Her hair turned white as snow, and her skin sagged and drooped. She screamed, whether out of fury or pain, Rapunzel could not tell. She could only watch as her "mother" ran down the hall towards her room. Rapunzel flitted after her, listening to Gothel's shrieks. Gradually, the screaming subsided. By the time Rapunzel reached Gothel's bedroom, she was nowhere to be found. Rapunzel did a quick visual scan of the room, her eyes catching on a pile of clothing on the floor, just a yard from her feet. It was Gothel's, there was no mistaking it. Rapunzel froze when she saw the pile of dust built upon the distinct, ruby red dress that Gothel was so fond of. A sudden pain brought attention to the palm of her hand. Rapunzel looked down and saw that she had a fairly deep cut bleeding out, identical to the one she had gotten a few months previously while making dinner with Eugene.

Eugene.

If Mother is gone, maybe her magic wore off?

Rapunzel rushed to the living room again, her hand wrapped around the skirt of her dress, trying to staunch the bleeding. She kneeled next to Eugene's peaceful form on the couch, noticing that the bruise on his forehead was also making a comeback. Hadn't the paper from Mother's spell book mentioned the possible reopening of old wounds, and more serious consequences for those who continually used the magic hair?

"Eugene?" Rapunzel asked quietly, touching his face. He made no movement, but his breathing steadily continued. He was alive, at least. Still, Rapunzel grabbed his shoulders, shaking him slightly.

"Eugene? Please wake up. Please. It's me, Rapunzel. Please come back to me," she begged, tears beginning to touch her eyes. He still didn't respond, even when Rapunzel was shaking him. She finally stopped when it crossed her mind that she might hurt him. There would be no magic hair to heal him if she did.

Rapunzel watched helplessly as Eugene continued to sleep on the couch, a blank, but content expression on his face. Memories flashed past Rapunzel's head, all the shared smiles and frowns, laughs and kisses, however few they may have been. She thought about how they had first met and how Eugene had showed her around the town. She thought about sitting beneath the stars, watching the fireworks over the castle. She thought about the fairy tales the Eugene had told her. Aladdin and the genie. Cinderella and her slipper. Sleeping Beauty and her-

_That's it!_

What had Eugene said about the sleeping princess? She was put under a spell, awoken by a kiss. A kiss of true love, that was the important part.

Nervously, Rapunzel leaned down, watching Eugene's slowly moving chest as he inhaled, unaware of his surroundings. Gently, Rapunzel pressed her lips down on Eugene's, her heart full of hope. It felt strange, as Eugene's lips gave no pressure back. Rapunzel pulled back after a few seconds, watching carefully. Eugene's mouth twitched, just for a second.

"Eugene?" she whispered hopefully, touching his face. Another twitch of the lips, this time a soft groan accompanied it. His eyes fluttered open. The very first thing he saw was Rapunzel's excited expression.

"What happened?" he moaned, grabbing the back of his head. He had a headache on par with a night of drinking. Rapunzel laughed softly, as if she didn't believe what was happening.

"You took a little nap," she replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, okay." Eugene looked around, trying to figure out his surroundings. He didn't remember coming to Rapunzel's apartment. His eyes caught on the brown halo that stuck out from Rapunzel's head, replacing the blonde river that normally occupied that space.

"You look different, Blondie," he joked weakly, running a hand through the choppy brown hair. "I like it." Rapunzel laughed again, sweet music to Eugene's ears. He wasn't totally sure what was going on, but Rapunzel was smiling, and that's all that mattered. He pulled her down onto the couch for a weak hug and kiss, snuggling her to his body. For just a moment, everything was perfect.

"Open up, Gothel! This is an arrest!" a loud voice commanded outside the front door. Eugene bolted up, nearly knocking Rapunzel down.

"Oh! That'll be Max!" she cried, hurrying to the door. Eugene watched with a confused glance as Rapunzel proceeded to welcome in a band of biker-looking guys and... The girl from yesterday morning?

"Will someone _please_ explain what's going on here?" he asked, as a dozen thugs made their way into the kitchen and living room, making themselves at home. Rapunzel looked around awkwardly. She had been talking quietly to the girl with the white blonde hair.

"You know, Maxine, right?" she asked, nodding to the girl. She had a stern expression and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Yes," he said hesitantly, "We've hung out before." It was only half a lie. She nodded, looking back at Rapunzel.

"I asked her to bring some friends for back up... In case something went wrong," Rapunzel explained.

"In case _what_ went wrong?" he asked exasperatedly. Rapunzel sighed, and sat next to him on the couch. She looked like she didn't want to talk, but now that Eugene had fully gained consciousness, he wanted to know what was going on.

"Why are we here? What about your mother? How do you know Maxine?" He was utterly confused, and starting to get irritated.

"Well, it's sort of a long story," Rapunzel began.

* * *

Half an hour later, Eugene was at a loss for words. The only phrase he could formulate was "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Rapunzel nodded whenever he asked her this, which was every two minutes.

"I think I'll be okay, Eugene," she affirmed, more for herself than anyone else. The thugs had excuses themselves shortly before Rapunzel had begun her story, at Maxine's ushering. She was now sitting opposite Eugene and Rapunzel.

"So you're free?" Eugene asked hesitantly, afraid of upsetting the girl who had sacrificed everything to save his life.

"Yes, I am," she responded with a tiny smile, "And I know what I want to do with my new freedom." Maxine and Eugene looked at her expectantly. "I want to find my parents. I want to find my parents and spend the rest of my life with them and Eugene." She spoke with finality and faith in her plan. Eugene draped an arm over her shoulder and gave her a gentle kiss on the head.

"And I'll be there the entire journey for you, kid," he said. They shared happy glances, until Maxine cleared her throat.

"Well, maybe we ought to head out?" she suggested, "I don't mean to bring it up, but at some point Gothel's manager will notice she's missing and come looking for her. Not that they'll find anything. But personally, I don't want to be around for that." Rapunzel nodded, peeking down the long hallway that led to the pile of clothing and dust that was now Gothel's final resting place. Silently, she got up and walked to her mother's room. She knelt beside her old mother's remains, gathering them up in a large bundle and walked across the room. With one arm still carrying the clothing, she opened up a large window.

"Goodbye," she whispered, shaking out the dust from her mother's signature dress. Brief pieces of sunlight streamed in through the clouds, making the dust sparkle as it floated towards the ground outside. She watched for a few seconds, finally turning away. Unceremoniously, she placed her mother's gown in a laundry hamper and left the room. Eugene and Maxine still waited for her in the living room. Eugene opened his mouth to ask his usual question, but Rapunzel cut him off.

"I'm okay," she said, giving a weak smile.

"Rapunzel, before we go, is there anything here that could possibly identify you? Pictures, ID cards, any kind of documents?" Maxine asked anxiously, standing up.

"No, I don't think so," she said, "Mother didn't take many pictures of us, and the other ones I had with Eugene are back at his apartment."

"Alright. You likely don't have any kind of DNA record. We'll have to take that snake of hair with us, though," she pondered, now looking over at Eugene, "You didn't touch anything, did you?"

"Err, probably not?" he answered, looking over at Rapunzel for answers.

"I don't think he touched much," Rapunzel confirmed. Maxine nodded.

"Rapunzel, grab a cloth and wipe down anything he or you or I might have touched. I'm going to do a quick once over on the place and make sure there's nothing here that could incriminate anyone." She spoke with a seriousness that only Maxine could possess. She began walking through every room with a purpose, occasionally making noises of concern or disapproval. Eugene rolled his eyes, but helped Rapunzel wipe down the furniture.

"Well she's taking things a bit seriously, isn't she?" he whispered jokingly.

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Rapunzel said, continuing to clean.

"I guess. You know what'll probably happen? Her manager will find out she's not here, be a little concerned, maybe do some searching, but in a couple weeks it will be like it never happened. They probably won't say anything to the press, unless they think she'll come back. It's easy to pick up a new model off the street. People will probably notice she's not around anymore, but stars drop off the face of the planet all the time. It's not like she was even _that_ big of a celebrity, compared to others. I doubt there will be a huge fuss, or even much of an investigation." Eugene finished explaining his theory and wiped off a table top with a flourish.

"And what about us?" Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

"By the time anyone notices she's missing, we'll be long gone, baby." Rapunzel smiled at this answer, despite the grimness of the situation.

"Everything all set?" Maxine asked, coming from the hallway.

"Yeah, I think so," Rapunzel answered, taking a quick look around. She was sort of going to miss this place.

"Well then, let's get going. I bet that furball of yours is missing you," Maxine smirked, gesturing towards the front door. Rapunzel stepped out into the lobby outside the door while Eugene and Maxine lagged behind slightly. Rapunzel now carried a lifetime of brown hair, hidden in a large, dark bag. Maxine had suggested that she sell it to some wigmakers for extra cash.

"You didn't tell her, uh, anything about us, did you?" Eugene asked quietly, eyeing his short-haired beauty in the lobby.

"'Us'?" Maxine repeated, a confused look on her face, "What do you mean 'us'?" She stared at him for a second before realizing what he was talking about. "Oh! Oh, you mean 'us'." Eugene shot her a look of exasperation.

"Yes! That's what I mean," he said in a hushed whisper, taking a peek at Rapunzel. She waited patiently outside the apartment, standing near the elevator.

"Oh, wow," Maxine chuckled, "You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what? I remember taking you home and waking up the next morning half dressed, and no offense, but this is a memory I would rather forget," he snapped, beginning to head towards the door. He was angry at Maxine, but mainly he was cross with himself. Maxine stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Reluctantly, Eugene turned around to face her, a look of annoyance gracing his face.

"Flynn, Eugene, whatever your name is, I didn't tell Rapunzel anything because nothing happened. Once you got us both back to your place you started getting out of your clothes, but before anything could happen, you collapsed into bed, like you hadn't slept for days. I was prepared to do whatever I had to just so I could dig up some more information about you, but you made my job a lot easier. Nothing actually _happened _between us. Now, your girlfriend is getting pretty antsy to leave, and honestly I want to get back home too. My friends are already annoyed with me because they missed all the action, so I'll have some explaining to do with them."

Eugene breathed a sigh of relief at Maxine's reassurances. At least this was one girl he didn't have to lie about. Hopefully Rapunzel wouldn't ask him about how he kept busy over the past few months. They stepped out in the hall just as the elevator arrived. Eugene shut the door behind them, wiping the doorknob off with the bottom edge of his shirt. The three began their journey back to reality, away from Rapunzel's personal prison. Rapunzel smiled at Eugene softly, the smallest hint of concern in her eyes. The three made it outside the enormous apartment tower, squinting in the sunlight that streamed in through the dark, December clouds.

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys around," Maxine said vaguely, looking off into the distance, as if she had lost track of her car. Rapunzel reached out and pulled her into a hug. Maxine reluctantly let herself be squeezed, rolling her eyes. But she couldn't help but feel a little bit loved.

"We can keep in touch, right?" Rapunzel asked, now looking her friend in the face.

"Of course we can," Maxine assured her with a small smile. She gave a quick nod to Eugene and started off in the way of her car.

"Bye Max!" Rapunzel called out, jumping up and down. Maxine waved an arm behind her, as if gesturing goodbye, but she didn't turn back. She didn't want to show the small tears in the corners of her eyes.

Rapunzel and Eugene stood still for a moment, watching their friend leave, until finally Eugene spoke up.

"Well, I guess we should head home then and start packing."

"Yeah," Rapunzel said, a tiny smile on her face, "We're still planning on leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Of course. Anywhere you want to go, Punzie."

"I think I have an idea." She pulled out the newspaper clipping and showed it Eugene.

"I found this in your room. Eugene, I think this is me. I think these are my real parents." Eugene's eyes widened, as he took the clipping from Rapunzel's fingers. He skimmed it briefly, then looked at Rapunzel.

"It would make a lot of sense," he agreed, trying to keep calm, "I'm guessing you found the other paper then too."

"I did... Eugene, why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you, I really did. I was afraid of upsetting you. So I thought I might wait until we were on the road. I'm sorry, Rapunzel." His expression was genuine, and Rapunzel found herself sighing.

"I forgive you, Eugene. You were just trying to protect me," she said in a soft voice, an understanding look in her eyes. "Let's just go home, Eugene. It's been something of a long day."

* * *

A/N: It's been a while, but this certainly is nearly the end of the story. The only thing remaining is the epilogue, which should be up shortly. Sorry it took a while, but I had some pretty intense classes last quarter, which didn't allow much free time. So, I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and look forward to an epilogue in a few days. If there are any spelling or grammatical errors, I'm very sorry. While I do try to proofread it all, I write up most of my chapters on my phone. Thank you all for the continued support.


	10. Epilogue

"It's going to be just fine, Rapunzel."

"You don't know that. Eugene, what if they don't like me? It might not even be them. They probably won't even recognize me even if I am their baby."

"We'll just tell them the truth. It'll be just fine. I promise. And if you're not their kid, then so what? It's a small world, we're bound to run into your folks at some point."

Rapunzel sat next Eugene on a park bench. It had taken them a while to finally reach their destination, but it was almost worth the wait. It was early March, and the midday sun shined brightly. Birds twittered about, swooping through the green leaves of the healthy trees. Mother Nature had truly blessed the season.

"Bardstown is a lovely place," Rapunzel murmured, trying to keep her thoughts occupied. Eugene patted her hand supportively, his eyes reflecting back the light from the sun. In the distance, Eugene's eye caught on two shadows, approaching slowly from across the park. Rapunzel looked up from her lap, her eyes now rested where Eugene's were. She burst up like a firecracker, immediately smoothing out her dress of any invisible wrinkles. Eugene stood beside her, resting a hand on her delicate shoulder.

"It'll be okay," he reminded her as the shadows approached. They were easier to make out. They were a couple, not young but not old. They held hands, and walked at a steady, almost withdrawn pace. Finally it was clear enough to see their faces. They looked nearly identical to the happy young couple in the newspaper clipping that Rapunzel kept close with her always. They were older, of course, with their faces slightly wrinkled. Rapunzel began approaching them, leaving Eugene behind. Soon the couple stood face to face with their daughter. She was the exact image of her mother. Words were not spoken; they didn't need to be. Mother simply reached out for her child, as no further examination was needed.

Eugene watched from a distance as the family embraced, a slight smile on his face. They looked so happy and relieved. He wouldn't ever have that with his parents, but it pleased him to no end to see Rapunzel finally reunited. Rapunzel's mother looked up at him, a grateful look on her face. The family slowly broke apart, all smiles and tears. Eugene found himself approached by Rapunzel's father, who held out a hand.

"Thank you, my dear boy. For bringing back my daughter," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. They shook hands, and Eugene felt the warmth in his palm.

"It was my pleasure, sir." Rapunzel and her mother walked over to the men, separating into their respective couples.

"Mom? Dad? This is Eugene. Like I told you, he saved me. He's the reason I'm here with you today." Rapunzel beamed with pride.

"I wouldn't be here either, if it weren't for your daughter," Eugene chimed in.

"It sounds like you two have quite the story," Rapunzel's mother finally spoke, a warm smile on her face.

Eugene laughed, "Yes, yes we do. Definitely the tangled mess of a story, but I promise, it has a fantastic ending."

* * *

And that's the end, everybody! Thank you for sticking around if you have, and thanks to any new readers as well. I'm considering writing a few drabbles on Eugene and Rapunzel's life after the reuniting, or possibly during the road trip to find Rapunzel's family, but I'll let the readers decide. So if that's something that interests you, please let me know. Finally I'd like to thank a few readers who have stuck around since October. Thank you Aurora-inked, Tangled4ever, Naara-no-temari, MyNameIsAlexandraRider, Kovva, ItsOnMars, FairyTaleLover6, and of course Umbe0n. I think that's everyone, but if I missed you, please let me know. Also I'd like to give a quick shout out to anabelgem14, who suggested the town of Bardstown as Rapunzel's true home. Thank you. Thank you all.


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